Five Hours in Ye Old London
by cabinet of curiosities
Summary: Tempest crackfic involving 2 Helens, John, James, and Tesla. Things get rather hilarious when a cheeky six year old wanders through the time portal in search of her mother. Chapter 8 is part of the WWDD Facing Fatherhood collaboration series.
1. The Child That Was

Author's note: There is another version of Tempus that I plan to write where both Helens run into one another back in 1899 London. This goofy little crackfic is a taken off what that more dramatic version will be, whenever I get around to writing it (have to finish Tempest in a Teapot first).

The setup: John arrives in the warehouse just as Adam is about to kill Young Helen while a horrified James and Future Helen look on. He swaps Imogene for Helen and the group return to the London Sanctuary. While Future Helen is recovering from the radiation poisoning, Druitt's chatting with James and a freaked out Younger Helen. Also, John's also freed of the energy elemental thanks to that enormous energy surge from the coils in Hollow Earth.

Five Hours in Ye Old London

Chapter 1: The Child That Was

John stood in the doorway of the library, watching the pair standing by the fireplace. James had his arms around Helen, trying to soothe her as she sobbed uncontrollably.

James, trying to console his partner, cautioned, "Take heart, my dear. You do not know what happened, nor if any of it is really true. Worth was a liar, and a violent one at that."

Sniffling into his collar, Helen cried, "It is true. I saw her face when he said it. I saw the pain she felt… the pain _I_ felt."

John, taking a step into the room, asked, "What's going on?" He eyed the pair wearily. He suspected it was his sudden appearance that had upset the young doctor and tried to steel himself for the angry words to come.

Startled, the duo pulled apart slightly, though James kept a protective arm around her waist.

Sniffing, Helen turned to face John. "It's true, isn't it? What Adam said?" Her eyes were large, her pupils dilated.

John, moving further into the room toward them, said, "Which part? Jekylll and Hyde are always spouting off about something. Best to take their crazy talk with a grain of salt."

James eyed Druitt back just as wearily. "Says the king of crazy men. Kill any hapless young women lately, John?"

John, giving a loud snort, said, "Nice to see you too, Watson. And no, not in quite a long time. I've lost my taste for the sport." He wandered over to the side table and poured himself a stiff drink. Holding up the glass bottle he motioned to them silently asking if they wanted a drink.

James, nodding he wanted one, questioned, "And why is that? Bored with killing?" He was finding Druitt's appearance quite curious, like he had of Helen's. John had short black hair, a beard with some gray sprinkled in, and was dressed head to toe in black leather. It always amazed him how such a large man could move so lithely and silently.

Handing over a glass to Watson, John muttered, "More like my demon was exercised." He took a sip and watched them over the rim of his glass.

Giving John a skeptical look, James replied, "Hmm, I find that hard to believe."

Snorting again, John said, "But you believe in time travel and creatures that go bump in the night huh?"

Helen was still a bit weepy and getting impatient with the two men's pissing contest. "This is all lovely but you haven't answered my question, John Druitt." She really looked at him hard for the first time, taking in how different he was from the other version of him.

He held up another glass of liquor for her to take and she shook her head. Shrugging, he placed the glass on the table between the wing chairs before the fire. "And what question is that?"

Shakily, Helen answered, "What Adam said… is he or she? Did they…?" Tears weld up in her eyes again.

John's brow furrowed in confusion. "I'm sorry, who?"

Helen, squeezing her eyes shut, said in a low voice, "The child. _Our child_. He said it died. Is that true?"

Surprised, John exhaled a harsh breath and frowned. He remained silent as he tried to think of what to say and what he should not say.

Pushing away from James' arm, she took a step towards him and cried, "Tell me! I have to know!" A large tear drop fell from her eye and rolled down her porcelain cheek.

Squeezing his eyes shut, John sighed loudly, "I am not supposed to tell you about events that take place in the future." His eyes fluttered open as he heard her sob loudly and turn back to Watson, who shot Druitt a dirty look.

Defeated, John threw up his hands. "Oh what the hell."

James was shocked. "Language, if you please. You may speak like gutter rats in the future but I'll not have you talk that way in the presence of a lady."

Frowning, John groaned. "I forgot what a pedantic git you could be." He looked over at his upset ex-fiancée. "Take care, my dear lady. All is not what it seems."

Helen gave him a baleful look. "What exactly does that mean? Did the child not die?" she asked hopefully.

John bit his lip. "Well, um, yes."

Interrupting him, an indignant James hugged her to him again. "Stop toying with us. You're making it worse!"

Helen's hand shot up to cover her mouth as another sob tore from her throat.

John, speaking louder to get their attention, called out, "If you would let me finish!" Addressing Helen, he said, "The child is the biological child of two members of The Five. As such, she is not without her own gift."

Wiping her tears away with one hand, she looked him in the eye. "She? The child was a girl?"

John smiled and nodded. "Hmmm. A most beautiful girl… very much like her mother."

The two stared at one another silently. A little smile tugged at the corner of Helen's mouth. She had had a daughter she marveled.

James, curious about Druitt's hint, said, "You mentioned her gift. What was it?"

Gulping down the rest of his drink, John poured himself another. "Let us just say that she inherited her gift from both of her parents that culminated in a very unique way."

James replied dryly, "That's… vague." He took a sip of his drink and rolled his eyes.

Annoyed, Druitt replied, "I'm trying to tell you some things without revealing too much." He nudged his head back towards the door. "_She Who Must Be Obeyed_ will have my head if she finds out how much I've already told you." Looking hard at Helen, he dryly added, "You are still rather fond of shooting people, my dear. Perhaps you should think about doing something with your anger issues, hmm?"

Helen, her tears now under control, retorted, "If I shoot at you, you probably deserve it." He shrugged, she was probably right. "And you have not revealed enough."

Grabbing the glass off the side table, she took a deep drink, and then coughed a little. Both men grinned slightly at her before going back to glaring at one another.

Helen, fortified by the strong liquid flowing down her throat to warm her stomach, reminded Druitt, "You have said we have a daughter… she's beautiful," she said as she gave John a soft smile, "she has a special gift from her parents and… she's dead." Helen downed the rest of the drink then and squeezed her eyes shut against the burning sensation.

John, giving her a soft look, murmured, "I never said she was dead."

James, angry that Druitt was playing with them again, barked, "You most certainly did. You said she died."

John retorted, "I said she died. I did not say she was dead."

Furious, Helen threw the glass at him, which luckily missed him and instead hit the wall behind, smashing everywhere.

John, now angry himself, reprimanded her. "Temper, madam, I implore! I told you you had a nasty temper."

Tearing up again, Helen cried at him, "Whatever game this is you are playing at I do not want to participate. Be gone, you horrible man!"

James positioned himself in front of her and ordered, "Perhaps you should leave, NOW!"

An exasperated John cried, "Oh, for God's sake, woman, if you would read between the lines you would understand what I am saying! If the child is not dead she is then…"

Confused, Helen and James said in unison, "Alive?"

"That would be the opposite of dead, yes! Remind me again how you two have Oxford degrees?" John remarked sarcastically.

Sharply, James questioned, "How can she be alive if she died?"

John, answering smugly, "How can her mother be 161 years old? How can her father teleport from one place to another?" He rolled his eyes at them. "She is an abnormal, like her parents, of course."

Helen, shocked, gasped, "She was revived?"

John shook his head. "More like reborn." Giving her a wide smile, he went on, "It was quite enjoyable watching you carry her again. You are a very lovely expectant mother." He gave her a gentle little bow of respect.

"Hold on a second. Helen was pregnant a second time. So she gave birth to another child?" James inquired, confused by what the mad man was trying to say.

Helen, bringing a hand to her forehead in anguish, exclaimed, "So the first child died and I had another child?"

John threw his hands up in frustration. "Keep up will you? You, Helen Magnus, have only had one child. Our daughter… whom you have given birth to twice. I don't see what's so difficult to grasp here." He went back to pour himself another drink. Were they always this dense and he never noticed it back then, he asked himself. He shook his head in disgust.

James was equally disgusted. "If she gave birth a second time, then she had a second child. I know you're insane, John, but surely even you can grasp the concept of childbirth and how children are born." He raised his eyebrow to give Druitt a snarky look.

"I need another drink!" Helen declared and swiped the glass decanter off the table to pour herself a healthy serving. Her nerves were frayed and John was going to be the last straw.

John explained, "In the future one can pinpoint the genetic makeup of an individual to 99.5 percent accuracy. The child is the same genetically as the first. Right down to her little dimples and stubborn streak."

Helen gasped at that. Her little child had dimples. The stubborn streak she put down as coming from the father.

Pointing at her, John declared, "Her mother is the one who verified that she is exactly as the first. The child's gift is that she can be reborn to her mother as herself."

James and Helen's mouth dropped. James turned to stare at Helen, who opened her mouth to say something then slammed it shut, not knowing what to say.

Pointing at them both, John ordered, "You are not to say anything about this to _Her_," motioning back to the door. "She'll go on the war path again and probably shoot me."

James grinned. "Sounds perfectly reasonable to me." He smirked at Druitt.

John, smirked back. "So does dropping you off the Tower of London but I have yet to do it."

"Is this a private insult party or can anyone join?" a smooth voice rang out.

"Nikola!" Helen gasped, causing both men to swing around and stare at the vampire standing in the doorway.

Smiling broadly, Tesla strutted into the room and headed straight for her. "Helen, my dear, it's been a long time." Taking her hand, he bowed charmingly over it and gave her a light kiss. "Miss me?" He wiggled his eyebrow at her invitingly.

James took in the sight of Tesla drooling over his Helen, then glanced over at Druitt. John made a gagging motion, causing Watson to laugh softly.

"Nikola," John called and walked up behind Helen, glaring down at the shorter man. "About time you got here. I trust you have come prepared?"

Smirking, Nikola answered, "Naturally." He glanced around. "Hello, James." Watson nodded back at him. "Where is Helen?"

"I am right here," she said, confused. She was standing right in front of him.

"Sorry, I meant the other Helen." He continued to hold Helen's hand and smile broadly at her. It had been a very long time since he's seen her with blonde hair. He couldn't' decide which version he liked better.

"She's downstairs in the Sanctuary recovering from the radiation poisoning." Reaching around, John removed Helen's hand from Tesla's grasp, causing her to look up at him in surprise and Nikola to give him a toothy grin. "Perhaps we should go check on her now." He gave the vampire a menacing look.

"Excellent idea," James called out as he moved next to John and to glare at Tesla also.

"Duty calls," Tesla told Helen, backing up and giving her a half bow. "Lead the way, gentleman," he waved towards the door. John led the way, followed by James, then Nikola.

Stopping at the door, Nikola turned back to Helen. "Don't miss me too much. I'll be back soon." He winked at her and left.

Helen's mouth dropped open in astonishment. What in the world had come over proper and reserved Tesla? He was a flirt but nothing like this. Turning back to the fire, Helen placed both of her hands on the mantle, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It had been a horrible night. A madman had almost killed her and amazingly it had been John who saved her. Under any other circumstances he would have been the madman.

Well, he probably was still a madman, despite the manners he displayed tonight. His explanation of the child's death, then rebirth was ludicrous. He was probably making the whole thing up to make her feel better. Her heart constricted at the thought of the child she had yet to know and a feeling of intense loneliness filled her.

Behind her she heard soft footsteps. "Back so soon?" she said, assuming it was Tesla entering the room.

"Mommy?" a small child's voice called out.

Author's note: Okay, the crackfic part is coming up next… because one can never predict what will come out of the mouth of babes. Especially smart aleck-y ones.


	2. The Child That Is

Five Hours in Ye Old London

Chapter 2: The Child That Is

"Mommy?" a small child's voice called out.

Helen whirled around and was shocked to find a small child standing just inside the doorway. She was dressed oddly, as if she were in her undergarments with a short, very full crinoline around her waist. The child's hair was very odd too. What in the world was this half dressed little one doing in her home? None of her servants had a child of this age.

"Hello," she cautiously saluted the child.

"Mommy!" the child called and ran to her, throwing her arms around the lady's lower body, and almost knocking her off balance. Helen's right hand caught the side of the fireplace surround to steady herself as her full skirt swayed haphazardly.

Helen was taken aback. Why was this child calling her mommy? Where did she come from?

She looked down at the same time the child looked up. Their eyes locked and the strangest sense of familiarity hit Helen. She couldn't put her finger on it but for some reason the child looked familiar. Felt familiar.

"Hello," she greeted again. "Do we know each other?"

The child's face wrinkled up in confusion. "Mommy?" she asked again.

"I think you have me confused with someone else," Helen said gently and gave the child a small smile. She was a very beautiful child with straight, blonde hair, big bright blue eyes and a little bow of a mouth.

The child pulled away. "You're not my mommy," she said in confusion and looked at Helen with a worried expression. The woman sounded kind of like her mommy, although her accent was much stronger, and looked like her mommy, but her hair was the wrong color and she was dressed really funny.

"No," Helen agreed. "Do you live nearby?" She judged the child's age to be between 5-6 years old. The girl was thin, tall and her eyes… there was something about the child's eyes that caught Helen's attention. They were so familiar.

The child shook her head. "I don't think so." She squinted her eyes and then widened them at the lady in the big dress. "Are you a princess?"

Helen laughed. "No, why would you ask that?"

"You're dressed like one," the child said, pointing at Helen's voluminous plum gown with cream trimming. The woman's golden hair was pinned up regally on her head. She gave the funny lady a serious look. "Except you need a crown. Do you have a crown?"

Grinning, Helen replied, "No, I'm afraid not. The Queen of England is the only one who would have a crown."

"Does she live here too?" the child asked eagerly, glancing around the room as if she expected the queen to burst out from one of the shadowy corners. Her ponytails sailed in the air as she turned from one side to the other.

Helen laughed. "No, she lives in Buckingham Palace. I would hardly call my home a castle." She was finding this inquisitive little creature quite entertaining. Helen generally liked children though she was often too busy to really spend much time with one. She recalled the conversation with John that just took place and wondered briefly if their child had been this lively.

"I live in a castle," the child told her proudly. "My mommy is the queen of the castle and my daddy is the king." She looked around the room again, her little face falling into a frown.

"A castle? Really? That must be very exciting," Helen commented, amused. She gave into her urge to touch the little girl, softly patting her head as if to ensure she was real. The timing was ironic. She had been talking to John about their child only minutes before this unknown one showed up.

The child nodded, this time looking back at the door. Her mommy wasn't here. Maybe she was in another room.

"If you do not mind my asking, how did you get here?" She couldn't stop smiling at the little girl and reached down to stroke her head again.

The child stepped back, dodging the strange lady's hand. "I followed my godfather here." She frowned and started to walk towards the door.

"Wait!" Helen called and moved to catch up with her. "Where are you going?" She couldn't have the child just wander about her home. The Sanctuary was below and that was definitely not a place for a small child.

"I have to find my godfather. He went to get my mommy." The child started to look upset and moved to go through the door.

"Wait!" Helen called again and grabbed a hold of the child's shoulder. She knelt down so that she was eye level with the upset little one. "What is your godfather's name?" she asked kindly. "Perhaps I know him and can help you find him."

The child sniffled and said, "His name is Nikola. Do you know him?" Her eyes started watering up. She was getting tired and she still hadn't found her mommy or godfather.

Helen's eyes widen in shock. "Nikola? I…" She stopped and stared harder at the child. She wondered who in the world would name Nikola Tesla as their child's godfather. As far as Helen had observed, Tesla was not that fond of small children. He had a long list of things he did not like. She was pretty sure children were fairly high on that list. He thought they were carriers of germs and even once proclaimed loudly that the Black Plague was probably spread by germy little children who did not wash their hands enough. "I do have a friend who is named Nikola. Perhaps he is the same person. I might even know your mother. What is her name?"

"Mommy. Her name is mommy," the child answered and started crying. "I want my mommy," she whimpered. She tried to pull away from Helen, who grabbed both the child's shoulders with her hands.

In a soothing tone, Helen tried to calm her down. "Oh, it's alright, little angel. Don't cry. We will find your mother, I promise, okay?" She tried to give the child a reassuring smile and reached up to wipe the tears away from one of her cheeks. She did seem to be a rather sweet child.

Nodding, the child sniffled hard and rubbed at her other eye with her fist. "Can we find her now? I want my mommy."

"Of course," Helen told her. "But before we go, can you tell me your name?" She was surprised when the child shook her head. "No?"

The child clumsily wiped her nose on the long sleeve of her orange undershirt and shook her head again. "I'm not supposed to talk to strangers," she explained. "Can we go now?"

"Okay," Helen said, thinking again what a strange little one the child was, and stood up. She took the girl's hand and together they left the room. "Maybe you godfather can clear this up. Let's go see him, shall we?" She looked down to see the girl nod and swipe at her eye again with her fist. Sniffles could be heard down the hall as they made their way to the hidden doorway in the ladies' parlor.

Helen opened the door to a shallow closet and started to enter. The child halted, pulling on Helen's hand, and gave the adult an incredulous look. "Why are we going into a closet?" the skeptical child asked.

"It's not just any old closet," Helen informed her, before reaching and pushing up on one of the wall hooks. The back of the closet wall swung backwards, revealing a wood staircase to the lower level.

The child peered up at her in surprise. "Cool," she said softly. Helen took in the child's appearance again and decided she would need to find her a sweater or wrap soon. If the child was cold here, the lower level was generally even colder. Helen flipped a switch and light flooded the staircase.

Side by side they walked down the stairs. Helen found that she liked holding the child's hand and the way the little girl leaned close to her. So this was what it would be like to be a mother, she thought. Helen smiled to herself. She was going to enjoy being a mother someday.

As they reached the small foyer at the bottom of the stairs, Helen moved a little ahead of the child, just in case there was a problem once they entered the Sanctuary. There had been a few incidents involving escapes by a few of the residents, though luckily they had not involved any of the more dangerous ones.

Her full skirt hid the child from view as she entered the large main room just in time to hear James proclaim, "You're all insane, you know that right? You do not know for certain if this will work!"

"We're here, aren't we?" John inserted. James, as the most cautious member of The Five, was always such a worry wart.

"What happens if it does not work?" James argued. He was really concerned with this idea of Tesla's.

Helen cleared her throat to get the group's attention. They turned to look at her as Nikola cheerfully said, "Then we all go boom and have to wait until our old selves catch up with current time." Really, James was such a bore at times. Tesla had no concern that his plan wouldn't work. Well, maybe a little bit but not much. He was the great Nikola Tesla after all.

Younger Helen opened her mouth to tell them about the child but never got the chance. The little girl yanked her hand free from her grasp, calling, "Uncle Nikola?" and peered around the plum skirt blocking her view.

What she saw made her eyes go wide. "Mommy!" the child shrieked and ran towards the Helen Magnus wearing the dark brown leather dress.

"Ashley!" Helen gasped before being tackled by a blur of orange and pink. The impact of the unexpected weight, coupled with Helen's heavy clothing, caused her to fall backward into John. His sturdy frame was able to steady them from toppling backward as his large hands grabbed a hold of Helen's shoulder. "Oh, my God, Ashley?" Helen said again in shock, throwing her arms around the little bundle clutching at her waist.

She looked down as her daughter looked up at her. Ashley's eyes were red and her cheeks were tear-stained. "Oh, mommy, I found you!" the child said and hugged her mother tight. Helen heard a large gasp and looked up to find her younger self with wide eyes and a hand clapped to her mouth in shock. She glanced quickly to her left to see James having an equal reaction and Nikola looking paler than normal.

She felt John abruptly let go of her shoulders and whirl towards Nikola, who cringed when he saw the murderous look on Druitt's face. "You brought her with you!" he bellowed in rage and moved to throttle Tesla.

He was almost able to grab hold of the vampire when Helen turned and barked "John!" at him.

Fuming, Druitt growled to Telsa, "Why did you bring her _here_? What were you thinking?"

Tesla's denial of "I didn't!" was drowned out by the child's sudden sobbing. "John!" Helen hissed before turning her attention back down to her daughter, whose face was buried in her mother's stomach as she cried. "It's alright, darling. Don't cry. Your father isn't going to harm Nikola. He's just a little upset." She stroked Ashley's head, finding her daughter's hair do to be rather strange, while her other hand rubbed calming circles on Ashley's small back.

Temper quickly fleeing, John dropped to his knees by his daughter. "Forgive me. I did not mean to lose my temper and shout."

After a few more sniffles, Ashley turned toward her father, keeping her teary face pressed against her mother. Her little bottom lip protruded out as she murmured, "Aren't you glad to see me?"

"Of course I am, my pet. I was just surprised. I thought we had a deal, you and I." He briefly glanced up to find Helen looking at him with one eyebrow raised in question before returning his attention to his upset child. "I said I would go and find mummy and you agreed to stay at home where you were safe. Remember?" he gently prompted her.

Ashley sniffled and nodded.

"Why didn't you stay where I left you?" he asked seriously. Now that his temper had abated, John tried to calm down his heart's racing beat and the pounding of his head. The idea of Ashley wandering around Victorian England alone and possibly getting lost or worse, hurt, terrified him. He wanted to crush her to him to calm himself but was worried he would frighten her more than he already had.

Ashley had stopped crying and let go of her mother's skirt, though she still remained in her mother's arms. "You were taking too long," she pouted. "When I walked into the Library, I saw Uncle Nikola go through the funny circle," referring to the time portal, "and followed him. But when I got to the other side he was gone and I was in a strange house."

She pointed across the room to the other Helen, who was now leaning against Watson, who had an arm protectively around her shoulders. He had moved to her side during Druitt's conversation with the child. He could feel her trembling against him and squeezed her shoulder reassuringly.

"Then that nice lady found me and brought me here," Ashley explained. "She said she knew Uncle Nikola."

Helen and John looked over at her younger self and Watson. None of them said anything. They were all in too much shock.

"See, it's not my fault," a voice squeaked behind them and John resisted the urge to reach behind him and strangle the vampire. Such a move would set his daughter to tears again.

He sighed. "You shouldn't have wandered off like that, luv. We left you at the Sanctuary to keep you safe," he reprimanded gently.

Ashley looked up at her mother as she said, "I agree with your father. You need to stay where we put you, darling. We only want to keep you safe." She tried to give a stern look but, like John, her nerves were too frayed by the thought of their small child lost back in time. Had Ashley not made her presence known they might not have discovered her missing until they were back in their own time era, when it was too late. That overwhelming thought caused Helen fall to her knees and crush Ashley to her chest as her eyes welled with tears.

"Mommy," came the muffled cry as Ashley struggled against her mom. "I can't breathe!"

Helen released her tight hold on her daughter and sat back on her heels, taking a deep breath to clear her head. "I'm sorry, darling."

Now calm, John finally took a good look at his daughter and frowned. He caught Helen's eye and held up three fingers in question. She shrugged. She didn't understand it either.

"I'm not three, daddy. I'm six!" Ashley corrected, holding up six fingers.

Smiling, Helen stroked her daughter's cheek. "I think your father is referring to your hair do. It's, um… unusual," she remarked, staring at her daughter's three pigtails. There was one on each side and one in the middle of the back of her head. Ribbons of sherbet pink and orange adorned each ponytail. They matched the orange long sleeved top and pants and the frilly pink tutu around her waist. Ashley was wearing the little ballerina play outfit Kate had purchased for her upcoming birthday.

"That's one way of putting it," John piped up dryly. Two ponytails he could understand but three like this was simply weird.

"Kate did it. Do you like it?" Ashley asked her father, finally pulling free from her mother and going to hug John.

Relieved that she was comfortable with him again, John wrapped his arms around his child and touched his head to her forehead. "It is most certainly interesting," he smoothly replied, garnering a smirk from Helen, who was still kneeling beside him. She was trying hard to resist the urge to reach over and correct her daughter's mishap of a hair do.

"I think it's adorable," Nikola quipped and waved at the little girl over Druitt's shoulder. "Hello, my sweet."

Ashley waved back at her godfather and grinned. "Hi, Uncle Nikola!"

A deep clearing of a throat caught all of their attentions. They all turned to the man and woman staring at them strangely. The woman was paler than when she had entered. The man still had his arm around her shoulder and looked as discombobulated as she.

"Perhaps introductions are in order?" he asked in a hoarse voice.

Helen cut John off, announcing, "I don't think that's a good idea" as she shook her head.


	3. What to Do With a Problem Like Ashley?

Author's Note: I decided to write out the Latin section into regular English to spare my poor readers. It's been years since I've had beginning Latin and, if my French conjugation is any example, I'd probably just butcher the sentences.

Five Hours in Ye Old London

Chapter 3: What to Do With a Problem Like Ashley?

"Perhaps introductions are in order?" James asked in a hoarse voice.

Helen cut John off, announcing, "I don't think that's a good idea" as she shook her head.

"And why not?" James asked, narrowing his eyes slightly at the older version of his beloved Helen.

Beside him, the younger version of Helen pulled away from his arm and, crossing her arms across her chest indignantly, added, "Yes, why not?" She was starting to get her wits back and was annoyed that events were still out of her control. Her older version was frankly a bit bossy. Who was she to tell herself [the younger version of herself] what she could and could not do?

She had barely grasped the concept that her and Druitt child's had been born at some point and then died, only to be reborn again. And now, in front of her, was that very child, bookended by both of her parents, staring back at her inquisitively. She had just learned the child's name – Ashley – and wanted to know everything else about her. She wanted to touch her child again. To reconfirm that she was real and not a figment of a really horrible day.

The older version of Helen recognized the emotions passing through the eyes of her younger counterpoint and sighed. She knew herself and how stubborn she could be. Young Helen had gotten a taste of motherhood and wanted to know more. Two mothers and one child could make for a messy confrontation.

"The timeline has already been altered somewhat. We need to be careful about any more changes that might cause more serious repercussions to the timeline," Helen said slowly and carefully.

James sniffed. "That the best you can do, Helen?" While intellectually he could understand her good intentions, emotional he sympathized with the younger version that stood next to him lost in emotional turmoil. If he were in her shoes he would want to know his child too. Timeline be damned!

The two women's face off was interrupted by Druitt, who still had the child in his arms. "Our daughter's unexpected presence has already altered the timeline. Surely it cannot do more harm to introduce her?"

"Who, me?" Ashley quipped up, turning her head to look at her dad.

Their eyes at the same level, John's mouth turned up at the corner in a half smile and he said, "Yes, you." Her beautiful blue eyes, a color brighter than her parents, sparkled back at him.

"John," Helen said in a low warning tone, "this might cause problems we are not prepared to deal with."

"Such as!" her younger counterpart challenged. She could appreciate her older version's concern but frankly didn't care right now. She wanted to know the child she had to have frozen years ago due to Druitt's insanity. And here he was now, seemingly sane and clutching that child. It didn't seem fair.

Before Helen could answer herself, John gave her younger version a piercing look as he said to the one kneeling next to him, "Perhaps you are right." He held up his hand to stop the younger version's protest. "Let me explain." Standing, John placed his hands on Ashley's shoulders to keep her next to him. Helen rose with him and moved a little closer to her family.

James noted the protective stance they were taking, as did the Helen standing next to him. She stiffened. The air was becoming more tense by the minute.

In the background, Nikola rolled his eyes at the little family drama unfurling and turned back to his work. It looked like if they were going to get home anytime soon it would be up to him.

John, staring at the blonder version of his Helen, carefully chose his words. "You, as a Victorian, are used to the concept of 'children are to be seen, not heard.' Ashley has never been a part of that world. She speaks her mind and has yet to grasp the concept of censoring her thoughts or words… sometimes much to her parent's chagrin." Both parents smiled at that as the child between them looked confused.

"Huh?" Ashley asked her dad, looking up at him. He lightly tickled her, causing the little girl to giggle and squirm in his arms.

"The point is," Helen interjected, "there is a good chance that she will say or do something that may alarm or concern you. You may also find our manner of parenting very foreign to you. We live in an entirely different world with a different set of rules."

John took over. "We are worried that something may occur that might cause you to…" he placed his large hands tightly over Ashley's ears so she could not hear, "possibly decide not to follow through with the pregnancy on schedule and therefore disrupt the correct timeline."

He ignored Ashley's complaint of "Daddy!" and her attempts to peel his hands away from her ears. "She must be born on schedule. She is very important to us," he insisted.

He released his hold then and allowed his daughter to grab his hands into hers. "Daddy, why did you do that," his daughter pouted, giving his an unhappy look.

"And when would the correct time be?" the younger Helen asked. She could see the point they were making, though she certainly couldn't imagine the child doing anything that would cause her alter Ashley's birth. Well, perhaps she would want to have her sooner, maybe?

There was a moment of silence as Helen and John looked at one another, trying to decide what answer would be given.

"1985," she finally answered. She didn't want to tell her but thought it might be more dangerous not to. "It's important that you wait that long."

James and younger Helen both gasped. "That long?" she cried in distress, staring down at the child who was becoming increasingly more restless with the boring adult conversation. The thought of waiting over a century to hold her baby stung her hard.

John solemnly nodded. "It's important you keep to the correct timeline. Deviations could be disastrous to her safety."

"I'm sorry but it has to be then," Helen gently told her. She felt tears start to prick at her eyes as well. All the pain she had suffered for a century while she waited for it to be safe to have her child came back to haunt her. It had been so difficult to wait.

Beside her, John's face fell and his head bowed. He knew it had been his fault that Helen had to endure such a long wait for Ashley's birth and that knowledge would haunt him for the rest of his life. As did his first meeting with Ashley.

Abruptly, Ashley let go of his hands and ran behind him, smacking both of her hands on his butt and making him gasp loudly in surprise. "Daddy, I'm bored. Let's play!" She began pushing on his butt to get him to move.

John, along with the other adults, grinned and turned halfway around to look at his daughter. She grinned up at him and then noticed the bulge in his left pocket. "Do you have candy?" she asked hopefully and patted his pocket.

"Candy?" John repeated and then his eyes grew wide as he stared at her. He swung back around to turn to his right and gave Helen an alarmed looked.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

Before he could answer, Ashley managed to get her hand into his pocket and pull out a metallic item with a pointed end. "What kind of candy is this?" she asked, her nose crinkled up in bewilderment.

Upon seeing what was in her hand, Helen and James both gasped at the same time.

"What's wrong?" younger Helen said loudly. She had no idea what the item was. "It's not a knife, is it?" she cried out in alarm and quickly ran over to John's side, planning to take the item from the child.

John managed to grab it from Ashley's hand as she tried to shake it to get some candy to fall out. "Daddy!" she cried and tried to jump up to get it from his hand. "I want the candy!"

"It is not candy," he sternly told his daughter as she clutched at his coat and then "Nor a knife!" to the furious blonde trying to take it from his hand. He reached over to hand it to the older version of Helen.

"Oh my God," she gushed. "I totally forgot about that." She looked back at her daughter, her eyes wide with concern.

"What is it!" her counterpart demanded, completely frustrated that no one was telling her what was going on. Obviously it was something dire, judging from the reaction of the child's parents.

"Helen, calm yourself," James instructed as he came up beside her. "It's okay. In all the excitement with Ashley's arrival it seems we have forgotten an important detail which can now be rectified." He looked at John and older Helen for confirmation. "Correct?"

The blonde turned to James, brows deeply creased. "What detail? Tell me, James, or I shall go mad!"

In Latin, John clued her in. "The vaccination for the radiation sickness that occurs when going through the time portal. We need to give her the shot. It had slipped my mind until she pulled it out of my pocket."

"Mine too," Helen added, also in Latin. The last thing they wanted was to alert their stubborn child that a shot was coming her way. Ashley did not like shots, any way, anyhow. If she knew one was coming she would probably try to high tail it down the hall. Helen looked at John and made a slight motion towards their daughter.

He nodded, reached down and picked up the still protesting child, who was now trying to pull another one out of his pocket, and placed her on the tall table behind them.

Ashley stopped trying to picket pocket from her father and glanced around. All types of boxes and neat looking items were piled around her. She reached for the nearest box as her father said in a deep voice, "Careful!" and he began sweeping the items from her reach. Ashley managed to grab one of the items from a box and held the skull up to inspect it. "Hey, we have one of these!" she exclaimed and grinned at the skull. It was quite a sight – the child's face and the creature's skull only two inches from one another. She closed one eye and peered into one eye of the skull.

While her parents were amused, there was work to be done. "Be careful with that," her mother instructed as she moved to the other side of her daughter. She positioned the pointed end near Ashley's neck and nodded solemnly to John. He braced one hand across to the child's other side to protect her from falling forward off the tall table and placed his second hand on the back of the skull.

Helen took advantage of the girl's distraction to push the needle into her neck. "Dadd…" Ashley began then stopped as her eyes got big and her mouth formed an "O" shape.

John caught the skull as it slipped from Ashley's grasp and cringed, expecting her shriek to blow out his ear drums. He felt the warm body of the other Helen pressed against his back as she peered over his shoulder.

Older Helen managed to hide the item behind her back as Ashley cried "OW!" and turned to give her mother a death glare. "Don't do that again, mommy!"

"I'm sorry, darling," Helen replied and reached out to stroke Ashley's cheek. She bit her bottom lip to keep from laughing at the sight of her daughter's creased forehead, pouty lips and flashing angry eyes. Even at six, Ashley's pissed off look was the same as when she was 26.

"That went better than I expected," John piped up and got a similar death glare from his daughter before she grabbed the skull back from him with a loud sniff.

"That wasn't nice," she grumpily said and swung her little legs back and forth angrily.

One corner of John's mouth turned up in a small smile as he said to Helen in Latin, "Maybe we'll get lucky and the second round will go as smoothly." Though she didn't understand what her dad just said, Ashley still looked up at him and gave him another death glare. "Or perhaps not," he said, amused at his grumpy little child. She was so much like her parents.

"You have to do another one?" a strong English voice said in Latin in his ear. John turned his head and almost smacked foreheads with younger Helen, who was still peering over his shoulder. He raised an eyebrow at her, his smile widening, and the apples of her cheeks bloomed bright pink. She backed away and moved before the child before anyone could stop her.

Helen quietly placed the used shot behind a box as she answered her younger version in Latin. "When we get back. It has to be done each time one goes through the time portal. The radiation poisoning is fatal otherwise." She looked at Druitt and asked in a tight voice, "How many do we have left?" She didn't know what they were going to do if there was not enough to get them home. She, and she knew John, would sacrifice their own vaccination for their child.

"Luckily, five, so you can breathe again," he said softly, taking in her tense and grim expression. "Four for us and one to spare. Bless Adam's black little heart."

Helen hadn't known she was holding her breath until she exhaled loudly and place a hand to her throat. This had been such a crummy day.

"Why is everyone talking funny?" Ashley demanded, looking from one to another. "I can't understand what you're saying." The adults all grinned at her. "What?" she said, swinging the skull out in her hand.

"Careful," both Helens said at the same time. James and John laughed aloud and grinned at one another.

"I am," the child proclaimed, bottom lip still protruding in a pout. She brought the skull back to her face to look at it again. "Hey, this one isn't missing a tooth like ours is," she observed.

"That's because a certain little girl hasn't dropped it yet," her mother said and took the skull from her grip before Ashley could stop her.

"Hey! I was looking at that," the child whined and glared at her mom.

"And now you're done," her mom smartly retorted.

"We're going to have to find something to keep you preoccupied while the adults finish up a little project," John told his daughter.

A high pitched voice called from the back of the room. "That would be good because I could use a little help back here. You know, so we can go _home_! I know I'm great and all but I could still use some muscle with this thing," Tesla sarcastically called to them.

Ashley suddenly perked up. "I want to play dress up like Mommy and her," she said as she pointed to the blonde lady. That caught everyone off guard. She turned to her mother and, whispering loudly enough for the adults close to her to hear, pointed to the lady in front of her. "She said she wasn't a princess but I don't believe her. She's got a princess dress on. But she said she doesn't have a crown." The last part was said in a disappointed tone.

The adults all grinned. "She isn't a princess," her mother said as she stroked her daughter's cheek again. Honestly, Ashley could be so adorable at times.

"Then who is she?" Ashley asked, staring ahead, making the younger Helen the center of everyone's attention. "She looks just like you mommy except her voice is funny." She tilted her head to the side in appraisal and smiled again, dimples on full display. "She has yellow hair like me though."

The blonde lady smile sweetly at her and her eyes got watery. Her daughter had such adorable dimples, just as John had mentioned.

Not sure what to say, Helen glance at John before telling her daughter, "Well, she's sort of… um…"

"Family," James answered. He gave the child a smile and continued. "That's why you both have blonde hair. It's a family trait. The funny English accent is apparently not." He gave John and Helen a smug look and they both laughed.

Ashley brightened. The pretty lady was related to her. "Are you like a cousin?" she asked.

"Sure, let's go with that," her dad smoothly answered and shrugged. Both Helens nodded their agreement.

The child grinned. "Great. I don't have any cousins so you'd be the first." She looked at Watson. "Are you my cousin too?"

"You could say we're all family in one way or another," her mother said.

Ashley giggled as James half bowed to her and introduced himself. "My name is James. I have known your parents for a long time. Long before you were born."

"You're funny," she giggled again, then looked at the blonde. "What's your name?"

"Um," the blonde answered and looked to her older version for instruction.

"We have the same name," Helen said softly. "It's a family name."

"Cool," the girl said. "My name's not Helen though. It's Ashley Amelia Druitt-Magnus. It's a really long name," she complained, her little nose crinkling up. "It takes forever to spell out."

"Are you still cold?" young Helen asked the child. "I have a shawl down here if you would like."

Helen held up a hand to stop her. "Cool is a modern expression that means 'interesting.' Believe me, if she was cold she would let you know most loudly. Ashley is not shy about saying what is on her mind or what she wants."

"Oh," the younger lady said and looked back at the child. The more she watched her, the more enthralled she became. To think, this beautiful creation was hers. She had always expected her child to be lovely but she had completely underestimated how beautiful the little one would be.

Pulling on her dad's jacket collar, Ashley ordered, "Daddy, I want down." She giggled as her dad tickled her before lifting her down.

Once on the ground, Ashley went up to the blonde lady and began feeling her dress. It was deep plum velour with cream trimmings. Her small fingers lingered over the delicate cream roses around her waist. "I like your dress," she shyly told Helen as she looked up at her.

Young Helen's heart melted and she reached down and stroked the child's head. "Thank you," she said in a choked up voice. She just wanted to scoop the child up and crush her to her chest and never let her go.

"Are you sure you're not a princess?" Ashley tried once again. It would be really neat if her cousin turned out to be a princess.

All the adults laughed. The child certainly was persistent young Helen thought as she grinned down at her. "I promise, I am not a princess. I am a doctor though."

"I could still use a little help back here," an annoyed voice called loudly. "Any day now!"

"I'll go," James told the group. "Otherwise he'll never stop squawking." He and John shared a smirk before he departed.

Ashley grinned proudly. "My mommy is a doctor too! It must be another family trait." Both Helens grinned at one another.

The child suddenly pushed on the full plum skirt, causing the blonde to have to plant her feet apart to keep her balance.

"Ashley!" her parents reprimanded in unison.

She looked up at her new family member. "How do you make your skirt so big?" she asked in earnest. "My tutu is big but it doesn't swing like your skirt does."

"Tutu?" the lady asked, eyebrows raised in confusion.

"The pink frill around her waist," John explained. "She's wearing the ballet outfit she got for her upcoming birthday."

Smiling wide, young Helena finally understood the child's odd clothing. "Oh, I see."

"She can't decide if she wants to be a princess or a ballerina when she grows up," her mother explained with a big grin. She loved how girly Ashley was at this age. Too soon she would be grown up, dressed in tight black leather and wanting to shoot anything that annoyed her.

Ashley surprised them all when she suddenly dropped to the floor and quickly half crawled under the plum dress.

Young Helen gasped loudly as a pair of cold hands grasped her about the ankles.


	4. Little Chatterbox

Author's Note: This older Helen, younger Helen is confusing to write! LOL! I sure hope it's easier to read.

Five Hours in Ye Old London

Chapter 4: Little Chatterbox

Young Helen gasped loudly as a pair of cold hands grasped her about the ankles.

"Ashley," John groaned and bent down. "Pardon," he apologized to the wide eyed blonde as he reached slightly under her dress to grab his daughter about the waist and pulled her out.

Ashley squealed as she felt herself being pulled backwards, and then flipped upside down in the air. John stood up and looked down at his daughter, whom he was holding by her waist upside down. She began giggling loudly, then squealed again as he pulled her right side up.

"Do it again, Daddy! Do it again!" the little girl squealed and clapped her hands. He laughed softly and swung her down again, leaving her upside down a little longer before pulling her back up again. Her loud giggles making the three adults laugh with her.

"Some of us are trying to work back here!" a grouchy voice called from the back of the room.

John and Helen looked at each other and rolled their eyes at the same time, causing them both to laugh again.

"Do it again, Daddy!" Ashley demanded, her face all flushed pink.

Groaning, John replied, "I think not. You're getting rather heavy," and sat his daughter on his hip as his arm went around her waist.

Ashley gave her father a pout and whined, "Why not?"

"Because I am old," he indulgently told his only child, kissing her on the nose. "And why were you under her dress, you naughty child, hmmm?"

Curious, she grabbed her father's face with her hands and pulled it to her until their noses touched. "How old are you?"

"Very old," he said in a deep, rumbling voice, "and you still have not answered my question."

Glancing back at her blonde 'cousin,' Ashley explained. "I wanted to see how her dress is so poufy and swings when she walks."

John shook his head at her. "It is rude to look under a woman's dress, especially someone you don't know well."

He didn't see the hurt look that moved across the blonde's face but her older counterpart did and felt sorry for her younger self. It must be incredibly hard to see Helen and John playing doting parents when the younger Helen had thus far been denied such pleasure.

Ignoring his reprimand, Ashley turned back to her father. "How old is very old?" She held up ten fingers. "Is it more than this?"

Smiling adorningly at his child, John chuckled. "Much more. You will have to do that several times to get my age," he informed her.

Ashley flashed ten fingers at him twice. "More than that?"

He nodded. "More."

Ashley flashed ten fingers at him three more times. "More than that?"

Grinning broadly, he nodded. "Keep going."

Ashley flashed ten fingers at him four more times. "More than that?" she asked, eyes wide in disbelief.

"Keep going," he said, twirling one finger in the air.

Ashley flashed ten fingers at him five more times, looking down at her hands at the end and, crinkling up her nose in defeat, proclaimed, "You're really _old_, Daddy!"

Laughter filled the room, including from the back of the room. "Older than dirt might be more apropos," came a heckle from the back of the room from Tesla, followed by a loud guffaw from Watson.

"Your mother is a year older than me," John pointed out to the child, nodding towards Helen, who shot him a dirty look.

Ashley flashed her mother a dimpled grin. "Mommy, you're even older than dirt!" the child announced. Loud bursts of laughter could be heard from the back of the room and John threw his head back and chortled.

"I love that kid," Tesla called out and laughed again.

John took in the disgruntled expression on the women's faces and laughed again. "I told you she doesn't censor what she says," he told the blonde with the pursed lips before him.

"So I see," young Helen remarked, perking back up again as Ashley flashed her dimples at her. Her daughter was very inquisitive and spunky. She liked that very much.

Still chuckling, John set his daughter back on the ground. She immediately went to her mother and felt up her dress.

"I like her dress," pointing back to the blonde, "better," the child said. "This dress is too hard and doesn't have any flowers."

Helen smiled down at her silly child. "I like her dress better too." She looked up and smiled at her younger self. She groaned as Ashley dropped to the ground and dove under her mother's dress, only her legs sticking out. A pair of ice cold hands grabbed her ankles, causing her mother gasped out, "Ashley!"

Druitt looked at her with one eyebrow raised in question.

"Cold hands?" the blonde offered and grinned as the brunette nodded.

John shook his head. His daughter really was too much at times. "Ashley," he said in a warning tone.

Helen's skirt jerked here and there as Ashley felt around and her mother had to clap both her hands over the skirt to prevent it from flying up here and there. "Ashley!" she called, also in a warning tone. "Come out from there. This instant!"

Ashley backed up from under the heavy skirt, sitting up before getting all the way out and causing her mother's skirt to ride up to Helen's knees. Her mother pulled the dress off the child's head before it rose any higher. "Really, young lady. It is not nice to go under someone's dress," she reprimanded.

Looking up, she found John grinning at her inappropriately. "Nice gams," he teased and winked at her.

"Shut up," she laughed and tried to give him a stern look. The playful moment was ruined when they caught sight of the horrified look on the blonde's face. The Druitt of her era was a nightmare and it was most unsettling to see his older version flirting with her older version. Their smiles faded and both returned their gaze back down to their daughter.

"Helen, I really need you both to help finish assembling the continuum device's frame," Tesla called from the back of the room.

"Of course," she called back and then looked at John. They needed to do something with their daughter while they were working. Leaving her to roam free on her own was a guaranteed recipe for disaster.

"I can watch her," the blonde offered, reading their minds.

They turned to find her standing tall, hands clasped lady-like at her waist. She could pass for a prim governess if one did not know her at all.

"I'm not sure you know what you are offering," Helen told her younger self. "She can be a real handful."

She gave her older self a patronizing look. "I am sure I can handle one energetic child."

"She's not a _normal_ child," John said softly as he patted his daughter's head.

Ashley beamed at her father's words. "I'm special," she proudly told her 'cousin.'

"Yes, you are," the blonde confirmed, beaming back at the little girl. The more time she spent with the child the more she saw of herself in the child. Glancing back at her parents, she made her case. "I do deal with abnormals all the time. I have no doubt I can successfully watch Ashley for a bit. And Tesla needs your help," she reminded the pair.

"Yes, I do! Any day now!" he called from behind them.

The pair groaned. "Alright," Helen acquiesced. "But you will come to us immediately if you need help," she sternly told her younger self. It wasn't that she was worried that young Helen couldn't handle the child… more like she was worried that her attachment would grow stronger and she would end up devastated when they all left to return to their correct era.

"You have abnormals too?" the child asked, doing a 360 spin to check out the space. She saw boxes of all sizes, many still packed, scattered around the room, and several tables. About 20 feet away, Nikola and James were working on two side by side long wooden tables. There was not an abnormal in sight. "Where are all your abnormals?" she queried the blonde.

Helen was surprised that her older version had introduced the child so early to world of abnormals. "Oh, well, we have a few. They aren't here. They are… someplace else," she said, deciding it best not to let the curious child know the holding rooms were in another part of this basement. Judging by the look on the brunette's face she agreed with that train of thought.

"Oh," the child said in disappointment, her bottom lip sticking out in a little pout. "Well, we have loads in our house," she explained. "Maybe you can come visit and I'll show them to you."

The blonde smiled sadly at the child and just nodded. What could she say. It would be a long time before the timeline caught up enough for her to be standing in her own Sanctuary as Ashley's mother.

"We have a mermaid," Ashley told her as an encouragement. "She's really nice and she talks!"

The blonde's widened eyes returned to the older Helen in surprise. "A mermaid," she whispered in disbelief.

"A talking one," Ashley reminded.

James' head popped up from behind a tall stack of boxes. "You have a mermaid?" he yelled incredulously.

Helen bit her bottom lip. "Um… maybe," she answered James, who had come back to join them. A look of excitement bore on his handsome face. "A real life, honest to goodness, mermaid?" he asked.

"That's what I keep saying!" the child cried as she threw up her hands. Honestly, adults never listened to a thing you told them.

"And she talks? I mean, really talks?" he asked. One would think it was Christmas and he was getting the best gift ever.

"Uh huh," Ashley told him. "Her name's Sally."

In unison, he and young Helen said, "Sally?"

"What kind of name is Sally for a mermaid?" James asked with a sniff. It was so unimaginative.

"Her name isn't Sally. She is just called that because no one can pronounce her real name," Helen explained. "And yes, she does talk… telepathetically."

"Wow," James said in an amazed tone. "I wish I could see her." He stopped and the group suddenly became somber.

Helen gave him a soft smile. "Well, you will, eventually. You're the one who helped me save her from the nets."

A large grin spread across his face. "Really? Fascinating."

"Yeah, yeah. This is all fascinating people but if we don't get moving we'll all be stuck here for the next century," a snarky voice shared. "I am not going through the clothing horror fest that is the '70s a second time!"

Druitt grinned. "Yes, seeing you, Nikola, in a powder blue leisure suit would be a quite horrifying sight." James gave him a quizzical look. "It's a type of horrid suit made of stretchy material. The clothing of the '70s was one of the low points of fashion history. No one wants to relive it a second time," John explained with a smirk. James nodded with a small smile.

Ashley didn't have a clue what they were talking about so she continued with her current train of thought. "We also have nubbins."

"Nubbins?" Young Helen asked. "Is that another creature with a difficult name to pronounce?"

James snorted. "I should hope that's not the abnormal's real name. It sounds too much like 'bobbin.'"

Helen smiled. "That is not the abnormal's true name." She nodded down at her daughter. "That's what she nicknamed it."

"They are really cute and cuddly! Especially the babies. They sure do make a lot of babies," she remarked, her head tilted and her eyes screwed up in thought. "I wonder why."

"Making babies is their whole purpose, as we all learned when someone let one escape," Druitt proclaimed and gave Helen a knowing look. She just shook her head at him to behave. If he so much as whispered one word of what happened that night she was going to strangle him right here, right now.

Five year old Ashley had wanted to play with the fat one named after Tesla and had managed to sneak it into her bedroom for the night. By the time the household had discovered it was gone the next morning, there was a hole in Ashley's bedroom wall and the creature had destroyed several hundred dollars of electrical wiring before being caught. It would have been fried to death had it not contained some of Tesla's DNA which seemed to help defray the effects of the electrical currents. Leave it to her daughter to pick the one nubbin with the vampire fangs.

Oh, well, she really couldn't complain. She and John had a very eventful night thanks to that nubbin. It had burrowed itself from Ashley's room into Helen's room and stayed in that section of the wall for quite a while, judging by the ardent lovemaking between Helen and John that night. All the wiring in three of her walls had to be completely replaced. And judging by the goofy grin on Henry's face and his initial slowness to respond in catching the little fur ball, Helen suspected he and Erica had also had a very busy night. They had finally found Damian half passed out in one of Henry's boots, a piece of wiring sticking out of his mouth, by following the smell of burnt fur to Henry's closet.

Pointing to herself proudly, Ashley grinned. "That would be me. I let Damian out."

"Damian?" James asked, laughing.

Helen grinned. "It's named after Tesla."

"Do I want to know why?" young Helen asked, also grinning. She couldn't imagine Nikola being pleased that a 'cute and cuddly' abnormal was named after him.

John grinned wider. "They are both short, fanged and demonic." James guffawed loudly and both Helens bit the insides of the bottom lip to keep from giggling.

"I'll give you demonic in a minute if I don't get any help with putting together the base for the continuum device," a cranky voice said, joining them. "We have been here for almost two hours. The device needs three to fully charge and I would like to get home in time for the Wookie to serve dinner. He's making Hungarian Cabbage Rolls to be served with red wine tonight."

"What's a wookie?" the blonde asked.

Her counterpart shook her head. "He's not a wookie. There is no such thing."

Tesla gasped exaggeratedly, placing a hand over his heart. "That's sacrilege, disbeliever. I knew you channeled the dark side," he smirked. "Now, back to work people."

Food sounded good to Ashley. "I'm hungry," the child whined.

Seizing the opportunity, the younger Helen suggested to the girl, "How about you and I go to the kitchen and make something to eat while the others finish up their project, hmmm?"

"Do you have pizza?" the girl asked excitedly. She really liked pizza. Not as much as candy, but it was pretty close.

Seeing the confusion on her young face, Helen piped up. "There is no pizza here." She gave a sincere smile to the young woman across from her, whose face had fallen in the belief that Ashley's current mother was trying to stop her from spending time alone with the child. "But perhaps you two can find something else to eat," Helen suggested. Her blonde counterpart looked relieved and nodded appreciatively to her older self.

"Whatever you do," John inserted, "for goodness sakes, do not let her do the cooking."

Ashley protested. "I can too cook, Daddy! The Big Guy and Mommy both let me cook with them."

"They also have a fire extinguisher nearby to put out fires if necessary." He mouthed "Don't let her cook!" to the blonde, who looked surprised by the exchange.

"Our little one likes to make things go kaboom," Ashley's mother explained dryly and gave her younger self a sharp look.

The blonde nodded in understanding and held out her hand to the child. "Shall we?" Ashley took her hand and the two exited the room chatting away.

The others watched them go. Helen, John and Nikola were all thinking the same thing – how bizarre it was to see a corseted, Victorian version of Helen walking hand in hand with the child she would wait a century to give birth to. James was the only one who didn't appreciate the irony of the sight.

"Tic tock, people," Tesla drawled, shaking his head and quickly walking to the two tables in the back, with James following.

Helen and John stared at one another for a minute. "She'll be fine," he said reassuringly.

"Which she?" Helen asked and they both grinned, then turned and walked together to join their friends.


	5. Tea Gone Awry

Author's Note: Thanks to all that have left feedback on this little crackfic of mine. It's been a lot of fun to write.

Five Hours in Ye Old London

Chapter 5: Tea Gone Awry

The housekeeper, Mrs. Hudson, was surprised when her mistress entered the kitchen holding the hand of an unknown child. Dr. Magnus, who generally only came into the kitchen to give instructions for meals or other household duties, was smiling at the child and seemed to be glowing in happiness. It was nice to see the good doctor happy and smiling, something a bit rare these days.

"Ma'am," older woman asked, unable to stop staring at the strangely dressed girl. She was rather clean for a beggared, but her clothing was certainly a mess. Was the child wearing only her undergarments? It was rather cool outside, being that it was late October. And what was that pink frilly thing around her waist? And good gracious, the three ponytails?

Helen smiled at her housekeeper, who had been a faithful servant with her for several years. "Hello, Mrs. Hudson. I have a little guest today and she is a little famished."

Waving, the child said, "Hi, I'm Ashley" in strange voice.

Mrs. Hudson peered at the girl closer. "You are not English, are you, child?" she asked, glancing back at her employer in astonishment. Where in the world would the doctor have found such a creature?

Helen had forgotten about her daughter's lack of accent. She racked her head to come up with a believable explanation. "Oh, her parents are English but they do a lot of traveling. They are, um… missionaries."

"Ah, spreading the good word of the Lord," the older woman said approvingly. "Your parents have some of the most important jobs in the world," the kindly housekeeper told the child. Missionaries were generally penniless, which would explain the child's lack of proper clothing. Perhaps she could find something among her granddaughter's belongings to donate to the little waif.

Ashley wrinkled up her nose. "Huh? My parents aren't miss-on-airies. My mommy is a doctor and my dad's the brawn."

The housekeeper looked questioningly at her employer, who clapped a hand to her mouth to stop the giggles that escaped her. "Brawn?" the older woman said. She wondered what that meant. The child sure did talk funny.

Nodding, Ashley continued. "Uh huh. And my Uncle Nikola's the creator and my other uncle, James, is the thinker. And Nigel can disappear… I never meet him though. Oh, and the Big Guy makes the best chocolate chip cookies! I sure wish I had one right now," she said wistfully.

Mrs. Hudson just nodded and looked to the doctor. She had no idea what was just said by the strange girl.

"She has a large, unique family," Helen said, her eyes dancing with amusement. John was right. Their daughter said anything that popped into her head with little thought as to what it meant. "Anyway, we are here to make something to eat," she looked down as a little rumble came from the girl's tummy. "My goodness, you really are hungry, aren't you?"

Hands clamped to her stomach, Ashley nodded her head hard. "Do you have any candy?" she asked hopefully

"No candy. We are going to have proper food," Helen insisted. "It will be time for afternoon tea in a bit so I see no harm in having it a little early today." She may have only been a mother for the last hour but Helen was finding the role to fit her naturally.

"Ughhhh," the child pouted. "I'd rather have candy."

Helen just smiled as Mrs. Hudson worriedly confessed, "I have not yet prepared much of an afternoon tea. Would you like me to do that now?" Her employer generally only took a light tea except when receiving guests. There did not seem to be anyone else here except the child.

"It is fine, Mrs. Hudson. Ashley and I will prepare the tea," Helen said, keeping her eyes on the child as she wandered around the kitchen to check things out. "A few more guests will be joining us in a bit."

"Oh my. Shall I prepare the parlor for the guests? How many are expected?" the housekeeper inquired, her mind racing with all the things that would need to be done.

Shaking her head, Helen tried to reassure the older woman. "Do not trouble yourself. It is just a small gathering of close friends. We will be taking tea in the library and the child and I can prepare most of the repast." Seeing Ashley start to reach for the handle on the metal stove, Helen ordered, "Do not touch that! It's hot."

The child dropped her hands to her side, instead taking turns stretching up alternately on each foot in an attempt to see what was cooking. "What's cooking? It smells good. Is it cookies?"

The two ladies grinned. "It's a roast, for tonight's dinner," Mrs. Hudson explained. "It will be a few more hours before it is ready for eating."

The child's stomach grumbled again. "I'm hungry," Ashley whined and turned back to look at her 'cousin.'"

The housekeeper bustled out of the room to check on the state of the library as the doctor tended to the child. "Of course," Helen answered, quickly moving over to the small table set to the side of the room. "Come, sit here, and we will get you something to eat." She pulled out a chair and helped her daughter into it. The child's feet dangled off the ground and, due to her size, only her nose up could be seen.

Ashley placed both hands onto the table and pushed herself up on her knees. Good thing the chair was padded. "Can I have a grilled cheese?"

Helen frowned. "What is a grilled cheese?"

"It's a cheese sandwich. My mommy makes the best ones," the child informed her. She reached for some of the items resting in the center of the table, picking up two small silver salt and pepper shakers. The columnar shaped items had delicate flower carving on them.

Helen brightened. A cheese sandwich was easy enough to make and, according to her daughter, she made excellent ones. She moved about the room gathering the items as the child entertained herself.

Ashley traced the flowers with her small fingers, smiling to herself. She then shook them, trying to figure out what was inside. There was a muffled rattling noise. Candy, maybe? She then turned one over and poured some of the contents onto the table. She sniffed, stuck her finger into the translucent item and then put a little on her tongue. She immediately began spitting it out, making a loud "thhfpt!" noise. "Yuck," she proclaimed, her noise scrunched up. She then dumped some of the other contents onto the table, leaned in to sniff it and broke out into a round of loud sneezes. A loud bang sounded as the girl knocked both silver shakers onto the ground, still coughing and sneezing.

Helen came over to table quickly to find Ashley's eyes watered up and the child rubbing her nose violently. Picking up the child, she hustled over to the sink to wash her eyes and face with water. "Better?" she asked, looking worriedly down at her daughter, who was resting on her hip.

Ashley nodded, all red faced. "Uh huh," she mumbled in a stuffed up tone.

"Why did you do that?" she asked curiously as she brushed a few stray hairs out of the child's eyes. She laughed as girl responded, "I thought there was candy in there," and firmly told the mischievous girl, "There will be candy later. After we eat. Okay?"

Ashley sighed. "Okay. How about my sandwich?"

Her mother nodded at her as she carried the child back to the table, placing her in another chair, before bending down to pick up the shakers. Luckily neither was damaged. She placed both back on the table and returned to the counter to finish cutting up the items.

A moment later she returned to the table and placed a plate in front of the girl. Ashley's forehead creased and she looked skeptically at the plate. "It's not cooked," Ashley complained, poking at the cheese slices. "And apples don't come with a grilled cheese." She looked up at Helen. "Don't you know how to make a grilled cheese?"

"Apparently not," she murmured. "How exactly does one make them?" she asked.

Ashley perked up. "I can show you how. I help my mommy and the Big Guy all the time."

Helen recalled Druitt's words of "Whatever you do, for goodness sakes, do not let her do the cooking." Her mothering instincts took over, however. The child was fond of these sandwiches and said her mother made the best ones. And that was just what she was going to do. "Okay, but at least eat your apple slices while we make the sandwich, okay?"

Ashley nodded, grabbing a slice in each hand, and proceeded to tell Helen how to make the sandwich.

Five minutes later, Mrs. Hudson walked in to smell of burning cheese as Helen lifted the melting sandwich out of the frying pan and placed it onto a plate. "What is this?" she inquired, her mouth watering at the sight.

"A grilled cheese sandwich," the doctor pronounced proudly.

"You have to cut it up," a little muffled voice piped up from the kitchen table as Ashley finished off the last of the yummy apple slices.

Helen cut up the sandwich into smaller wedges and brought the plate over to her daughter. The housekeeper followed her and both women watched as the child reached for a piece. "Careful, it's hot," Helen warned.

Ashley's little eyes squeezed shut and she gave a dimpled smile as she savored the first bite. "Yummy! Just like how mommy makes it!" the little girl praised.

Helen's throat tightened in emotion as she took in the words. Her first task as a mother and she had done well.

"It smells delicious," Mrs. Hudson remarked as the child reached for the next piece.

Helen grinned, agreeing. "It does, doesn't it?"

"It's really good," Ashley said, a thin string of cheese sticking to her face. "You should try one."

Helen turned to the other lady. "We should." She returned to the stove and proceeded to make two more as Mrs. Hudson looked on with interest. A few minutes later both ladies joined the child at the table and took their first bites. "This is delicious," Helen moaned, savoring the taste.

"Indeed," Mrs. Hudson agreed. "Could use some tomato slices though."

Once sated, the trio set out to prepare the afternoon tea. Mrs. Hudson cut up the cucumbers, watercress, and ham and Helen and Ashley put the sandwiches together. The child entertained them with her non-stop chattering about cooking in the kitchen with her mother and someone called the "Big Guy."

Helen soaked up everything her child said, memorizing every detail she could. In a short time Ashley would be gone and Helen would be alone again… for another century. Her eyes started to water up and Helen bowed her head as she willed herself not to cry.

"How many cups do we need?" Mrs. Hudson asked as she opened the cupboard to pull out the china.

"Six," Helen said, standing up to inspect the snacks they had created so far. Three plates of cucumber, watercress, and ham sandwiches were neatly stacked. Everything would be perfect for her guests. All that was left was making the dessert. She carried the plates of sandwiches over to the counter and returned with a sponge cake.

Ashley eyed the cake. "It's missing the frosting," she noted. "Do you have chocolate frosting?"

Helen smiled. "That is not what goes on a Victoria Sponge," she said and walked away to get the toppings.

So busy were the trio preparing the tea items that they did not notice the short legged creature that had entered from the other door. Smelling food, it shuffled quickly over to table, going underneath right before Helen returned with the toppings.

"You're going to put jelly on the cake?" Ashley asked incredulously. "That's just weird."

Helen smiled. "It is not jelly. It's raspberry jam. And it is not weird." It seemed incredible to her that her daughter did not know much about traditional English cuisine. That could only mean that the child was not growing up in England or any of its territories.

"We put jam on scones," Ashley explained, "but not on cake. We put icing on cake."

"Well, this is a special kind of cake," Helen said, stopping again to stare at her beautiful child. How was she ever going to be able to let her go?

Meanwhile, under the table, the creature had discovered a pair of small pink ballet slippers. After a short sniff, it licked one, and then began chewing on it. Drool dripped off the one slipper in its mouth and splattered onto the other lying on the ground.

Above, Helen spooned several globs of the jam onto the sponge cake and together mother and child spread the jam.

Ashley, her tongue hanging a little out of the side of her mouth, concentrated on evenly spreading the jam with her spoon as her 'cousin' explained why it was called a Victoria Sponge.

Below, the creature spit out the chewed up slipper as it became fascinated with the moving flesh right above its head. Ten little toes wiggled tantalizingly. It slowly tried to stand up to get a taste.

Helen had just started to dust the top of the cake with caster sugar when Ashley screamed and tried to stand up, screaming again as her knees banged on the edge of the table. Startled, Helen lost her grip on the sugar, which went flying forward, as did cake, and all splattered onto the child.

"Ow!" the child bawled, falling backward into her chair and curled her knees into her chest. She rubbed at her knees as huge tears fell. "Ow, ow, ow!" Her high pitched crying caused Mrs. Hudson to rush back into the kitchen as Helen hurried over to see what had happened.

"Ashley, what's wrong?" her mother cried. Sugar and jam coated everything around the girl whose bawling got even louder. She bent and tried to exam the messy child. The cake had gotten squashed into the girl's shirt before falling to the side and hitting the ground.

"What in the world?" Mrs. Hudson cried and rushed over just as a sugar dusted creature crawled out from under the child's seat to sniff the cake.

Hearing the snuffling, Helen looked down to see it. "Winston!" Helen exclaimed, her heart pounding hard as she considered the possibility that the bulldog had bitten the child.

"Oh dear!" the housekeeper fussed. "Did he bite the child? He's never bitten anyone before." She looked under the table. "Ugh. The child's shoes are half eaten."

The dog whimpered, knowing he was in trouble, and backed up under the chair again. "Bad dog," Mrs. Hudson reprimanded, shaking her finger at him. He whimpered again.

Helen turned back to her child and began inspecting the crying girl for bite marks. Her toes were wet from being licked. Helen managed to pull Ashley's hands away from her knees to inspect them. She found the girl's knees to be already bruising when she pulled the stained pants above her daughter's knees. "Oh dear," Helen murmured.

"I'll get some ice," the worried older lady said and rushed to cellar door.

Helen left the pants pushed up and stroked the child's face. "Did he bite you, darling?"

Ashley shook her head, still whimpering. "No, he licked my toes and then I hit the table with my knees." More tears fell. "Owie," she wailed again, clutching her knees to her chest. Underneath her chair, Winston echoed her by giving out a long, loud whimper.

Helen closed her eyes in relief. "Oh, thank God." She opened her eyes and her heart fell. The sugar she could shake off but there were globs of raspberry jam and sponge cake on the child's stomach, face and hair. Ashley's parents were going to have a fit when they saw her next. Helen's older self had initially been reluctant to turn over the care of Ashley to her younger version and this would only reconfirm that she had been right.

Mrs. Hudson returned with some ice wrapped into a hand towel and handed it to the doctor to apply on the child's fast bruising knees. She sighed as she took in the mess and began to clean up. "Do not even think about it!" she admonished the dog as he stuck his head out and tried to lick the piece of cake by the chair leg.

"Right," Helen said, pulling Ashley into her arms and standing upright. "Let's get you cleaned up, shall we?"

Going up the back steps, she carried her daughter to the bathroom and turned on the faucet to fill the tub. Helen convinced the child to take off her clothing and put her in the water. "We're going to have to wash your hair too," she decided and began undoing the ribbons and rubber bands.

"But Kate fixed my hair special for me," Ashley whined. Her face was splotchy and her eyes red and swollen.

Helen gave her a gentle smile. "I'll fix it special for you too,okay?"

Ashley nodded and reached for the bubble bath bottle. She squeezed a large helping of the liquid under the faucet before Helen took it away from her and then swayed her arms back and forth to make the bubbles bigger.

By the time Mrs. Hudson entered the bath, Ashley had been scrubbed down and she was having fun chasing and popping bubbles. Helen's heart had returned to its normal rate and she was marveling how resilient children were. Fifteen minutes ago she was bawling her eyes out and now she was laughing and smiling.

Snuffling behind the housekeeper announced the dog's arrival. "Doggie!" Ashley cooed, stopping her bubble play and leaning over the tub to pet the dog. The housekeeper had wiped him down after cleaning up the cake disaster.

"Bad doggie," Mrs. Hudson commented half-heartedly. Truthfully, she was rather fond of the little butterball. She looked at the clothing hanging off the tub. The doctor must have soaked the shirt and pants in the tub water to remove the sticky jam and wrung them out to dry.

From her kneeling spot by the tub, Helen looked up at her hopefully. "You wouldn't happen to have any of your grandchildren's clothing handy, would you Mrs. Hudson?"

"As it so happens, I do have the dress I just purchased for my littlest one, Rebecca." She looked back over at Ashley, who was now putting a bubble hair do on the top of the dog's head, and shook her head at the child's antics. "They are about the same size," she appraised.

Downstairs twenty minutes later, footsteps echoed along the wooden hallway as the group made their way towards the library. Watson had pushed the door open only to stop dead in his tracks at the sight before him. "Oh my God!" he intoned in a long, drawn out voice.

John, coming up behind him, peered over his head and did a double take. "Dear Lord!" he repeated in his deep voice.

A high pitched squeal from his daughter proceeded the clicking of nails racing across the wooden floor.

Helen, behind Druitt, heard her daughter's squeal. "Ashley?" she called but could not see anything due to the two men standing stock still in the doorway.

Author's Note: This chapter didn't turn out as funny as the previous one. The next one should be funnier as the gang is all back together again and you know how much fun John, James and Nikola are when they get together.


	6. Little Girls and Puppy Dog Tails

Author's Note: Thanks to all that have left feedback on this little crackfic of mine. It's been a lot of fun to write.

Five Hours in Ye Old London

Chapter 6: Little Girls and Puppy Dog Tails

Downstairs twenty minutes later, footsteps echoed along the wooden hallway as the group made their way towards the library. Watson had pushed the door open only to stop dead in his tracks at the sight before him. "Oh... My... God!" he intoned in a long, drawn out voice.

John, coming up behind him, peered over his head and did a double take. "Dear Lord!" he repeated in his deep voice.

A high pitched squeal from his daughter proceeded the clicking of nails racing across the wooden floor.

Helen, behind Druitt, heard her daughter's squeal. "Ashley?" she called but could not see anything due to the two men standing stock still in the doorway. "What's wrong?" she said when the two men did not budge out of the way.

"I think I have died and gone to hell," James muttered in a monotone.

"Ditto," John agreed. "This certainly isn't a sight I ever thought I'd see."

Frustrated that she wasn't getting any answers, Helen pushed her way through the men when she heard her daughter squeal again. She stopped in her tracks as soon as she saw what they were looking at. "Oh my!" she whispered, her eyes fairly bugging out.

"Mommy," Ashley squealed, seeing the adults in the doorway, and rushed over, the ribbons in her hair flying. She stopped before her mother with a big grin on her face. "Look, mommy, I'm playing dress up too. Do you like it?" She swung her little hips back and forth to make the skirt swish around as she awaited her mother's response.

"I… " Helen began, unable to complete her sentence as she took in her daughter's attire. Since she had waited until the late 20th century to have her only child, Helen had not really considered what she would look like dressed as a Victorian child. Frankly, it was a bit like a dream gone bad. Had she looked this frumpy as a child too, Helen thought?

Not getting much response from her mother, Ashley looked up at her father, who also seemed to be a bit speechless. "Look, daddy, I have a princess dress too!"

"So I see," he said in a bit of a strangled voice. Seeing his daughter frown at their lack of response, he twirled his finger to motion for her to turn around. The girl grinned and slowly spun around to show off her new dress, enjoying the feeling of her ruffles flying out around her.

Ashley was dressed in a pink floral frock that tied at the waist with a big bow in the back. The poplin dress had long sleeves with bows at the elbows, a bodice filled with lace, and a circular ruffle trim below the bodice. Two small sections of her hair were braided and pulled back into the back center of her head where they were decorated up with pink ribbons, with the rest of her straight, long hair hanging down free. In odd contrast, on her feet was a pair of brown socks. She spun a second time even faster and got a little dizzy, slipping a bit in her socks to crash into her mother as she giggled.

Helen put her arms around Ashley's shoulders to steady her as she looked down into her daughter's bright, expectant eyes. "I am all astonished and know not what to say," she murmured.

The girl took that as a compliment. "I do look pretty, don't I?" she grinned as she took her mother's hands and swung their interlocked hands in and out.

"Very pretty," her father agreed, looking out of the corner of his eye to give Helen a "what a hell?" look. She returned his look with a slight shake of her head.

"And I have a _chemise_ to make my dress poufy like yours," the girl confided, lifting her dress to flash both her parents. Their mouths dropped open.

"What happened to your knees?" John asked, alarmed at the yellow and purple bruises that had taken form on the top part her knees.

Younger Helen stood up from where she sat at the round oak table. "We had a little accident in the kitchen," she hesitantly explained.

The three adults standing before the doorway stared at her. "What kind of accident," they all asked at the same time.

"And why are you in a different dress?" Watson asked, his keen eyes roving over her curvy figure that was now draped in a soft yellow dress with blue trim.

"You let her cook, didn't you?" John accused.

The blonde folded her hands together and gave them nervous look. "No, she did not do the cooking. And the accident was not serious. Ashley hit her knees on the table and we both inadvertently ended up with cake, jam and sugar on our clothing."

"It was Winston's fault," Ashley blamed. "He licked my toes! And he ate my shoes too!"

"Who's Winston?" John asked in confusion.

"My dog," James groaned, finally shaking out of his momentary stupor. "What have you done to my dog?" he demanded, his hands flying out before him in agitation.

"Winston looks adorable, doesn't he, James?" young Helen teased. Her voice was tinged with humor and the corners of her eyes crinkled in laughter as she watched James's horrified reaction to his dog in drag.

Winston looked up at his owner, his bottom overbite visible above his hanging jowls and his pushed up nose gave the dog's face a pitiful "I know, I'm hideous" expression. He was wearing Ashley's discarded pink tutu around his waist and his leather collar was mostly covered by Ashley's pink and orange ribbons. Imagine a very homely, short-legged, dumpy, slightly drooling ballerina and that would be Winston in his current state.

"Isn't he cute?" Ashley cooed, letting go of her mother's hands and going to sit down in front of the dog to pat him on the head.

Helen and John had been so preoccupied with Ashley's appearance that until now they had not noticed the bulldog resting before the fireplace. Both burst out laughing and the dog lowered his head as if ashamed of his appearance.

"Stop laughing at him," James huffed as he pushed past them to walk over to the blonde as she took a seat near the child and dog. "He's going to be scarred for life. I know I am!" he groaned and flopped into a nearby chair. Winston stood up and walked over to his master, his plodding gait causing the tutu to swing back and forth gaily as he walked. He stood up on his hind legs, placed his forelegs on Watson's thighs and gave a pitiful, "Woof?" The view from behind was of a pink tutu-ed furry butt with a short stubby tail.

John and both Helens burst into laughter again at the hilarious sight, and even James was unable to stop a chuckle.

"See, I told you he was cute," Ashley squealed and went over to hug the dog from behind tightly to herself. Winston's eyes bulged and his tongue lolled out the side of his mouth with a loud "hrfffft!"

"Darling, don't strangle the dog," Helen instructed as she wiped at her eyes. She hadn't laughed so hard in several days and felt herself truly relax as she rested her head against John's shoulder.

The girl let go of the dog, allowing him to drop back on all fours before seating himself next to Watson's feet. Ashley turned to her parents, her little eyes shining hopefully. "Can we take him home?" she pleaded, putting her little hands together. "Please, please, please?"

"Absolutely not!" Helen and John replied, shaking their heads so hard they ended up knocking heads.

"Ouch!" Helen muttered, rubbing the left side of her head as she gave John a grumpy look.

Druitt mirrored her by rubbing his right cheek and muttered, "Sorry."

"But I really like him," their daughter whined. "And he really likes me. He wants to come home with me, don't you, Winston?" she cooed as she looked down at the hapless bulldog. Winston gave his owner a big eyed look and dropped his head on Watson's shoes, placing a paw over his eyes. "Rrrrrr?" he whimpered under his paw. If the human child took him home there was no telling what nightmare outfits he would end up in. He could end up in bonnets and bloomers. Oh the horror!

James smiled down at his little friend's reaction to the suggestion of a new owner. "I believe that would be a no," he interpreted.

Helen sighed as she watched her daughter's lower lip protrude out further in an obvious pout. "Ashley, you cannot take Winston home. He belongs here with James. You don't want to make James sad by taking away his pet, do you?" she tried to reason with her stubborn daughter. She and John exchanged knowing glances as they took seats at the table and waited for whatever drama was about to come.

Ashley's bottom lip waivered and her eyes started to water up as she scuffed her toe in front of her and gave Watson a woebegone look. "No… I don't want to make him sad." She gave a loud sniff. "I just really like Winston," she said pitifully, giving her parents, then James big doe eyes in the hopes they would cave and give her the dog.

"James has raised Winston from a puppy," young Helen kindly told the child. "They would both be very unhappy if they are separated." She reached over and stroked Ashley's cheek. "But you can play with Winston while you here. I am sure he would like that," she suggested.

At the sound of snoring, James looked down to find the bulldog passed out on his side, legs sticking out around his fat stomach. The corner of his mouth pulled up in a lopsided grin. The child must have worn the dog out. "I think you will have to wait until he has had his nap," James softly told the child as she frowned down at the sleeping dog. "Perhaps we can find you something else to play with?"

"How about we have tea and snacks?" John threw out, eyeing the spread on the table with interest. He had not realized how hungry he was until his mouth began watering at the sight of the sandwiches.

The girl's eyes cleared up as a new idea came to her. "We can play tea party!" she squealed.

Helen smiled, her mouth also starting to water. "Tea sounds lovely."

"First, daddy needs to dress up too," Ashley concluded, scrutinizing her father's leather outfit.

Caught off guard, John started, huffing out, "What?" Both Helens gave out a laugh at his reaction.

"You have to dress up too," his daughter insisted, her mouth turning down into a small frown.

John shook his head. "I think not."

Hands on her hips, his daughter bossily said, "We're all playing dress up except you. Even Winston is dressed." Daddy was being awfully silly about not wanting to dress up she thought. "No dressing up, no scones," she threatened, looking so much like a miniature version of her mother that both men looked at one another and chortled.

"It's a dead on impersonation," James remarked as he smirked at Helen, who narrowed her eyes at him.

John gave another soft laugh. "Isn't it, though?"

"It's not funny," the child huffed. "We're playing dress up tea party. If you don't want to play you can go to your room," she ordered and pointed to the door.

John gave his daughter an unfavorable look. "Watch that tone, young lady. You do not tell your elders to go to their room."

Ashley pursed her lips, trying to decide whether she wanted to tempt her father's temper further or cave in.

Young Helen intervened instead. "Ashley, I do not believe there are any clothes here big enough to fit your father. But James's hat is on the coat rack by the door. Perhaps John could wear that?" She sat up a little straighter in defiance as Druitt frowned his displeasure at that suggestion.

"What a good compromise," Helen said, giving John a firm look that said "do it or else."

"Excellent," James agreed, giving John a smug smile.

Ashley grinned. "Okay! Daddy put on the hat," she ordered.

John groaned. "Do I have to? Seriously?"

"Yes!" Ashley and Helen insisted and smiled at one another.

"Fine," Druitt grumbled and went to retrieve the Deerstalker hat. He flopped loudly back into his chair and slapped the hat onto his head unceremoniously. The hat looked ridiculous and his pout only accentuated its silliness. The other adults openly snickered at him and he responded by giving each a death glare in turn.

"Aw, you look so cute, daddy," Ashley praised and came over to climb into his lap. John's bad humor waned as his daughter snuggled against him, turning her head to beam up at him. She reached up and touched the brim of the hat. "I never saw a hat like this before."

"That's because no one in their right mind wears them," he commented, pointedly looking at Watson.

James smirked back. "So then it's perfect for the likes of you."

"Wow. I leave you lot alone for a short time and you all go prehistoric on me," Nikola announced as he walked into the room. "Nice hat," he snickered at Druitt as he approached the group. He then looked down at the dog sleeping by Watson's foot and laughed aloud. "Is that a dog?"

"That's Winston," Ashley told him. "I want to take him home but Mommy said I couldn't," the child ratted out to her godfather.

"Just as well," Nikola agreed, "he'd be midget free range nosh to the residents of the Sanctuary."

"Where have you been, Nikola?" Helen inquired, as if she didn't know.

Tesla gave her toothy grin as he gripped the bottles of fine wine he held in each hand. He then turned to her younger counterpart. "Hello again, Helen. A new dress I see?" He frowned slightly as he scrutinized her dress. "A pity about the color," he murmured.

"What's wrong with the color?" she asked, looking down at her dress. She thought it a rather pretty dress on her.

"It's not red," her older counterpart filled in, giving Nikola a knowing look. He flashed his most charming smile at her in appreciation for her remembering how much he liked her in red dresses. James eyed the two curiously, wondering what they were talking about, while Druitt gave the vampire a suspicious look.

"You're just in time for our tea party," his godchild told him as she pointed to the empty chair between the two Helens.

Nikola continued to grin as he seated himself, placing the two bottles in front of him. "Munchies made by favorite godchild and the best seat in the house," he said as he gave both Helens a little leer. "What more could a man ask for."

Ashley wrinkled up her little nose. "I'm your only godchild, aren't I?"

"Hence, you are my favorite," Nikola quipped and gave her a smile.

John gave him a smug look. "If you want to eat you have to dress up."

Nikola smirked back. "Is that why you look like Humpty Dumpty wearing a ridiculous hat?" The other adults sniggered and it was just as well Ashley was seated in his lap for Druitt looked like he wanted to reach over and bash the vampire with one of the wine bottles.

"Enough talking," Ashley proclaimed as she threw her little hands in the air. "It's tea party time!"

"He has to put on a hat first," John prompted his daughter. If he had to look stupid so did Tesla.

Reaching for the little plates, his daughter disappointed him by shaking her head. "Nah. Let's just have tea and scones," she offhandedly announced.

"What?" John protested loudly. "Why doesn't he have to wear a hat?"

Ashley pursed up her lips in concentration as she peered over at her godfather. "Vampires don't need a hat," she said. "They're already cool."

Nikola grinned from ear to ear. "And little children that recognize that are cool too," he winked at the child. He then gave Druitt a smug, "I'm cooler than you" look.

John turned and gave Helen a disgusted look. "Seriously? Where is she getting this stuff from?"

Biting her bottom lip in order to keep from laughing her head off, Helen just shrugged at him. It was a good thing they were going home in a few hours. John was liable to kill Tesla if this kept up.


	7. Family Dynamics

Author's Note: Sorry it's been so long since this story has been updated. Got wrapped up writing chapters for Tempest in a Teapot.

Five Hours in Ye Old London

Chapter 7: Family Dynamics

Ashley pulled the pile of small plates to her and began distributing the delicate porcelain pieces to the others around the table. "These are pretty plates," the child remarked, holding one up to get a better look. "We have flowers like this in our garden. I bring mommy roses all the time from the garden," she informed her new relatives.

Helen smiled down at her daughter. It was true. Ashley loved to bring her little bouquets of flowers from her garden so much so that the garden had been expanded over the years to keep up with the child's picking habits. Otherwise there wouldn't be a flower left in the garden at the end of three months.

"The plates belonged to your grandmother," the blonde shared with the child as she took in the look of adoration that the older version of herself bestowed on her only child. If she had any concerns that motherhood would not agree with her, which she really hadn't, the proof was sitting right before her.

"You know my grandmother?" Ashley asked, putting down her plate and beginning to distribute the forks and linen napkins.

The two Helens looked at one another. "Yes," the blonde said carefully.

"I didn't know her," Ashley confided to her 'cousin.' "She died a long time ago before I was born."

The blonde gave her a sweet smile. "Your grandmother would have loved you."

Ashley returned her smile with a sweet, dimpled one as she reached for the large teapot.

Her father's hand shot out and stopped her. "Perhaps someone else should pour," he suggested. His daughter had more than once accidently poured tea on him while playing tea party and those times had involved either tepid or cold tea. He wasn't too keen on experiencing hot tea being dumped on him nor did he think anyone else at the table would appreciate it. Younger Helen had already changed her dress once since the child's arrival.

Ashley frowned. "I want to pour the tea. It's my tea party, daddy," she reminded him.

"Your father's right, Ashley," Helen interceded. "At an English tea it is proper for the lady of the house to pour the tea. That would be her," she indicated by pointing to the blonde.

"But I want to pour," her daughter whined, pushing her father's hand away in annoyance.

Blonde Helen reached for the tea pot after her older version motioned to it while suggesting that her daughter served the food instead.

"I don't want to serve the food. I want to pour," Ashley stubbornly insisted, crossing her arms and pouting. Her bottom lip was puffed up and a long line creased across her little forehead.

Gently placing his hand on her forehead, John titled her face in order to look up at him. "Ashley," her father warned, "either do as your mother says or you can have a time out, young lady." He resisted the urge to laugh, keeping his face stern, as his daughter glared up at him with the stubborn look he knew so well. She was mirroring the same look her mother often gave him when she didn't like what she was being told.

"You can't give me a time out," Ashley smartly told him, "we're not at home so I can't go up to my room." Ha, take that, she thought, as she stuck her tongue out at her father.

"There are four corners in this room, you can stand and face one of them," he retorted, not please with his daughter's little temper tantrum. He looked to his left at Helen, who also had a displeased look on her face.

"Blah, blah, blah, I see you talking but I can't hear you," the girl chattered as she made a mouth opening and closing motion with one hand. She looked around at the others and stopped when she saw the look on her mother's face. Uh oh. She might have gone too far this time.

"Ashley Amelia Druitt-Magnus, you apologize to your father this instant, young lady," her mother sternly ordered.

The girl bit her bottom lip and looked to the others for help. James and Nikola both looked highly amused but weren't going to interfere on her behalf. Her 'cousin' Helen looked shocked and had stopped pouring tea into the teacups. Daring a glance at her parents Ashley saw they were both frowning at her. Sticking a finger in her mouth nervously, the child asked, "Did I say a bad word?"

"Not a bad word, but what you said was incredibly rude. Especially coming from a young person," her father informed her. They both stubbornly stared at one another neither wanting to give ground.

Helen sighed. "Ashley, go stand in the corner," she instructed, pointing to the corner nearest to them.

"I don't wanna!" her daughter whined, her eyes starting to tear up.

"Now," her mother ordered in a tone that broke no argument. She was very unhappy with her daughter's little temper tantrum in front of the others, especially her younger counterpart who looking very shocked at Ashley's behavior. Victorian children were expected to be better behaved in public.

"Fine!" Ashley spat out as she slid off her father's lap, smacking his hands away as he tried to protect her from falling during her descent. His hat fell off as he leaned over and he ignored it. Ashley stalked off loudly to the corner behind Watson and turned to glare at her parents with her arms crossed and her lips pursed. "You're all mean to me," she sniffed loudly.

Motioning from Ashley to Helen, John said, "That is pure Magnus," and received a dirty look from the mother of his child.

"Well, there's no need to guess which one of your team taught her that lovely little line," Nikola remarked as he stood up, walked over to the nearby liquor cabinet to pick up the cork screw, and returned to his seat. He went to work opening the wine bottle as Helen leaned forward to pick up one of sandwiches.

"You don't know it was a member of my team," Helen half-hearted defended, but then who else could it be. They had keep Ashley under close watch since she had been re-born and the child rarely left the Sanctuary grounds unless she was heavily escorted by her parents. John and Nikola had dealt a death blow to the Cabal but Helen wasn't going to take any chances with her child's life again. She was being too protective she knew but so be it. Her daughter's safety was her main priority.

"Nor does one have to guess who she was saying it to," John added. The only person who would have said such a snarky little line would have been Ms. Freelander and it would have been directed to Dr. Know-it-all Zimmerman.

James raised an eyebrow at her as he began helping himself to some sandwiches. He shook his head at Nikola's silent offer of wine. "So you have a cheeky team, do you, Helen?" he asked to redirect the topic away from the child standing three feet behind him. His back was to her and he could hear her scuffing her socked feet back and forth as she pouted. To his left, younger Helen was looking conflicted, wanting to allow the child to rejoin the adults but refraining from interfering with the child's parents' disciplining of the girl.

"No more than usual," Helen replied as she took a sip of her tea. She gave Druitt and Tesla a look as they both snorted.

"Please, Booty has quite the smart little mouth on her and Dr. Whiner is constantly trying to tell everyone what they should be doing or feeling," Nikola confessed to James with a smirk.

"Booty? That's an interesting name," James remarked as he reached for another sandwich.

Nikola snickered as John starting choking on his sandwich in laughter. "That is not her name," Helen told Watson as she reached over to whack Druitt on the back hard twice. "It's a nickname Nikola has assigned to her." She returned to her tea as John exhaled a deep, clear breath, still chuckling.

"What does booty mean?" Watson inquired innocently, causing John to start laughing again, this time with Nikola joining in.

"Never you mind," Helen discouraged.

"Bum," John gasped out in laughter. "Nikola thinks she has a nice bum." He, Tesla and James all laughed at that, even more so at the startled look on blonde Helen's face and the reprimanding one on her darker counterpart.

"Really, John," Helen said. Men could be so childish she thought.

Looking to change the topic, John reached for another watercress sandwich. "These are excellent. I haven't had them in years."

"I made them," a child's voice called.

"They're very yummy," her father answered, noting that she was no longer pouting nor crossing her arms. Her temper tantrum had run its course.

"Can I leave time out now, mommy?" she asked, eager to rejoin the adults. She didn't like being ignored and not being able to be a part of the activities.

Helen nodded, relieved that her daughter's melt down had not gotten worse. "Only if you're ready to apologize to your father."

Ashley rejoined her parents, climbing this time into her mother's lap. She started to reach for a scone as Helen reminded her, "What are you supposed to say?" Turning, Ashley looked at her father and said, "I'm sorry, daddy."

He nodded. "Apology accepted."

Grabbing a scone and the pot of Devonshire cream, Ashley threw out over her shoulder to her father, "I saw you drop your hat and not pick it up." The adults smiled. The child did have some wits about her.

Younger Helen pushed the bowl of jam in front of the child, relieved her punishment was over. Normally she wouldn't be so bothered by a child being reprimanded but then this was not any child, it was hers. Well, sort of.

The adults made small talk as they watched the child pile on the cream and jam on bottom half of her scone before smooshing the other half of the scone on top of the pile. Happily, Ashley lifted the oversized sweet to her mouth only to have bottom part shoot out sideways as she bit down. It dropped onto the floor, just barely missing John as it fell between Helen's chair and his. "Oops," Ashley murmured.

Quick, clicking noises could be heard rushing over, accompanied by snuffling. Leaning over, the child squeal, "Winston!" and reached down to pet the dog. Helen, unprepared for her daughter's sudden sideways movement, had to quickly grab hold of her dress. At the same time, John had moved his arm out to catch her if she fell forward. Heads close together, both parents looked at one another and shared the same thought. Their daughter was a handful.

Oblivious to it all, Ashley was patting the dog and chatting away as he woofed up the sweet. He looked up, smelled the sweet jam and cream smeared around her faced and leaned up to lick her across the mouth. "Ack!" Ashley screeched, sitting up while spitting and wiping at her mouth with the sleeve of her dress. "Winston kissed me!"

"He is rather fond of Devonshire cream," James said, smiling at the child. There were still traces of cream around her nose and jam across her cheek. The sleeve of her dress was now stained as well and he was beginning to understand how she and his Helen ended up having to change clothes earlier.

Helen leaned around to look down at her daughter's face. "Oh dear, we better get you cleaned up."

"Wait, I want to finish my scone!" the child said, grabbing the remaining part to shove it in her mouth. A glob of jam fell down onto her mother's dark leather dress. "Thank you," Helen remarked dryly, shaking her head as Ashley giggled and grinned up at her with more sticky stuff smeared around her mouth, and wiped at her dress with a napkin. It was a good thing her dress was leather and easy to wipe up.

Just then, Ashley felt Winston near her feet and slunk down a little trying to pet the dog with her feet. She giggled as Winston sniffed her socks and slouched down further, feet wiggling to touch him. "Okay, young lady, let's get us cleaned up." Wrapping her arm firmly around her silly daughter's waist, Helen sat up slightly to push her chair back. John reached over and helped pulled the chair back. Helen stood and lowered the child to the ground.

"Good, cuz I gotta potty," Ashley said as she crossed her legs and squirmed.

That caused the adults to all grin. "I think I remember the way," Helen told her younger version and led her squirming child out of the room.

Observing the blonde as she stared after them, John smiled. "I told you she was stubborn," he reminded her. Lifting his cup to his mouth, he shared, "Personally, I think she inherited that from her mother."

She looked back at him, a small smile gracing her lovely face. "Then her temper must come from her father."

"What, that?" John laughed, referring to their daughter's little temper tantrum earlier. "That's nothing. You should see one of her meltdowns when she wants to sleep with her parents and not in her own bed," he said offhand, not realizing that he'd just given her information about the state of his relationship with her older counterpart. Helen's eyes got bigger as she took in the news that she and John were currently sleeping together in addition to raising their daughter.

James caught it though, and frowned. Nikola rolled his eyes and stood up. All this family talk was beginning to get nauseating. "I'm going to check on the continuum device," he announced, thinking to himself as he strolled out of the room that he'd stop by the wine cellar on his way back. The two bottled he'd brought up earlier were now empty.

"What happens when you get back to your time?" James asked, hoping to shift the subject at hand. He did not want to linger on the thought of Helen and John sleeping together again.

"Well, as soon as we walk back into the Sanctuary, we all get to have another round of shots to counteract the radiation poisoning. Then we all go through medical scans to make sure there's nothing else wrong and… well, after that," he looked thoughtful as he pictured it in his head, "Helen and I wrangle our daughter into bed after having another discussion about her remaining where we leave her." John looked directly at his young love. "Helen soon goes back to being wrapped up in her work. And I go back on creature patrol to ensure none of her beasties eat or kill any of us."

"And what about Tesla?" James asked, standing up to move about. They'd been sitting for well over an hour and his long legs needed a stretch. John stood to stretch as well. "Oh, he'll do his usual. Putter around in his lab, occasionally blowing something up, and drain the wine cellar."

Helen stood too, stretching out her back as modestly as possible. "And you all live together at the Sanctuary?" she asked incredulously. The idea of John and Nikola living under the same roof was unfathomable. The two couldn't stand one another.

"Unbelievable, isn't it?" John grinned.

Footsteps alerted them to their presence just as Ashley burst into the room, her mother showing up a few seconds later. "I'm back!" the child announced cheerfully.

Noting Nikola was no longer present, Helen wondered aloud of his whereabouts.

"He went to check on the device," Watson answered first. He sat down in his favorite wing chair as he filled his pipe. Winston curled up by his owner's feet and looked up as the child descended up him again to pet him.

"Perhaps I should go see if he needs any help," she murmured. Helen felt a little guilty for Nikola having to bear the brunt of the work getting them home. Whatever his faults, Tesla always came through for her when she truly needed him. His constant draining of the wine cellar was a small price to pay and she had simply learned to hide her most treasured bottles of rare wine from him.

"I'll go," Druitt volunteered. "A stretch of the legs will do me good."

He'd taken one step when Ashley ran over to grab a hold of his hand. "Zort, zort, zort!" his daughter chanted, bouncing up and down excitedly.

"It's just downstairs, Ashley. I can walk you know," he teased her. It did actually stroke his ego how much his only child loved to teleport with him. Her ability had been dormant in her first life but her parents both suspected that the ability would emerge this go round at some point. Thus he had taken it upon himself to slowly instruct her on how to teleport as a safe guard for if and when the ability would suddenly materialize.

"That's no fun," the child pouted. "Zort, daddy, zort!" she pleaded and looked up him with her big puppy dog eyes. Big, blue hopeful eyes that so reminded him of her mother.

"Very well," John said indulgently and then they were gone in a bright blur of red.

"Zort?" James asked before putting his pipe into his mouth.

"Teleport," Helen explained. "Ashley couldn't pronounce it correctly when she was little and called it 'zort' instead."

Younger Helen had gasped as they disappeared and looked worriedly at her older self. "You are not worried about Ashley teleporting away with John?"

Crossing over to sit on the love seat across from James, Helen calmly answered, "She is fine with her father. He'll keep her safe." She gave her younger self a serious stare. "Your Ashley teleport with her father… Hell no!" she exclaimed strongly.

"Language, madam, I implore you," James teased, shaking his pipe at her, and laughed as she stuck her tongue out at him in response. "I see where she gets it from," he smirked.

Her younger version smiled distractedly at their play but her mind was focused on John and their daughter. Here, Ashley was happily attached to her father, who it appeared was a doting father. But as her older version had just reminded her, the John Druitt that was of her timeline was still in the grips of his madness when she would give birth to their child for the first time. She wondered when John had been finally cured of his insanity. Had it been while Ashley was still alive the first time or had the cure taken place after her death? Either way, it was a depressing thought to know that his condition would go on for over a century.


	8. The Negotiation

Author's Note: This chapter is a part of the WWDD Facing Fatherhood collaboration series. Other stories in this challenge include: "Taking care" by Sonea27 and "Bedtime Stories" by Fell4

Five Hours in Ye Old London

Chapter 8: The Negotiation

A swirl of red flashed as father and daughter returned to the library. "We're back!" the child announced cheerfully as she released her father's hand and wandered back towards her mother, who was seated on the love seat across from Watson and 'cousin' Helen, both of whom were seated in the wing chairs. "Did you miss us?" she asked her mother as she came to a halt in front of her.

"Always," Helen answered with a smile, reaching a hand up to cup her little girl's cheek. The period dress Ashley was wearing still took a little getting used to, though ironically enough the child seemed to find playing dress up in Victorian clothes fun. Pity she didn't have her iPhone any longer. This would have been such perfect blackmail material for when her daughter was all grown up and back to being a badass, leather clad, gun slinger.

Ashley flashed her mother a dimpled smile. "Good, you should always miss us. We're a lot of fun, aren't we, daddy?" she boasted as she swayed from side to side in order to make her dress swing around. She really liked making her dresses flare and swing out.

"A lot of fun," John agreed as he sat down next to Helen on the love seat and raised his eyebrow in a suggestive manner.

Helen was unable to stop herself from smirking and raised her eyebrow back at him with the message of "Behave, we have company."

A sly smile curled at the corners of his mouth. Behaving was so boring.

The right corner of her mouth pinched up in amusement. She knew exactly what he was thinking without him saying it. She flashed him a slightly more stern look that meant "Not in front of the children."

He rolled his eyes and gave a soft laugh.

Across from them, James and younger Helen watched the volleying of facial expressions between the two and tried to figure out what they were saying without words. She found it rather unsettling to know that the deep bond between herself and Druitt had only gotten stronger over the years.

Winston's standing up and stretching of his short, pudgy legs caught the child's attention. Grinning, Ashley called the dog's name and was delighted when he waddled over to her. "Let's play," she told the dog and ran towards the round table where they had had tea. Revived from his nap earlier, the dog barked and gave chase. The adults watched in amusement as the two chased one another around the room, with the child squealing loudly and calling the dog to catch her and the dog barking now and then, but mostly wheezing, as he complied.

The view from behind of the tutu-ed furry butt waddling caused the blonde version of Helen to begin giggling, which in turn induced Watson to shake his head in mock woe. "That is just not right," he murmured as he clenched his pipe in the corner of his mouth to keep it from falling out.

"Yeah, that dog will probably never be quite right in the head again by the time we leave," Druitt teased his old friend. "You might need to get a replacement."

Ashley halted her play at that and came back to stand near Watson. "I'll take Winston if you don't want him anymore," she offered hopefully, putting her little hands behind her back and flashing him the sweetest smile she could muster.

"Ashley," her mother reprimanded, "you cannot have James' pet."

The child turned her innocent look on her mother. "But daddy said he could get a replacement."

Helen aimed a reproachful look at John, which he deflected with an unapologetic smirk, and turned back to her sneaky child. "Winston belongs to James, not your father. James likes his dog. He has not offered to give him away now, has he?"

"No," Ashley admitted slowly, "but he didn't say I couldn't have him either," she reasoned as she refocused her energies back on Watson. "I'd take real good care of him," she started off. "I'd feed him every day… and brush him… and take him on walks… and we could play tea party all the time… and I'd put the best dresses on him," she solemnly promised.

Entertained, Watson snorted a laugh and had to quickly remove the pipe from his mouth and swat at the lit tobacco he'd knocked loose from his pipe onto his leg. Beside him, blonde Helen laughed aloud and stared in adoration at her little bargainer. The child definitely had wits about her, especially if she was motivated. She was curious to see how far the child would go in trying to obtain the desired canine.

"You forgot to mention you'd paint his nails and put hats on him," John added mischievously as he grinned at Watson.

Ashley brightened and vigorously nodded her head. "Yeah, I'd do that. And I'll give him cookies for breakfast too. The yummy chocolate chip cookies the Big Guy makes especially for me," she negotiated eagerly. "I'll even share my chocolate milk with Winston."

The adults all laughed at the silliness of the whole thing. "Ashley," her mother explained, "you cannot feed a dog chocolate. It's poisonous and will harm the animal."

James' eyes widen a bit in surprise. "It will?"

Laughing, Helen stared at him in disbelief. "Yes, it will. It's harmful to the animal's heart."

"Oh," Watson murmured, looking down guiltily at the animal. Winston rather liked chocolate, in addition to the Devonshire cream he managed to get a hold of now and then. Of course, Winston also liked to snack on smelly shoes too. The dog didn't exactly have the most discriminating of tastes.

John snickered. "You might be requiring a replacement sooner than you planned."

His daughter, encouraged by her father, swished her dress back and forth in excitement. She was going to get the dog, she just knew it. "See, you can get a new dog and I'll take Winston," she rationalized. "Everybody wins!"

Druitt threw his head back and barked a laugh. His daughter was quite the little schemer, just like her mother. Beside him, the mother of his child shook her head, thinking what a sneaky little schemer her daughter was, just like her father. They eyed one another as they subtly pointed to the child then back at the other.

"I believe I would be drawing the short end of the stick on that deal," James said to the resourceful child as he thought about how much she reminded him of her parents. Especially her mother, who could talk even the sanest of persons into doing the craziest of acts. "It took six months and several pairs of ruined shoes to get that one," he said as he pointed to the dog that had come to sit by the child, "successfully trained. He's rather unmotivated. If I got a new dog I would have to go through that all over again, and I don't think Langley will appreciate all the required cleanup."

"Perhaps the issues with training reside with the trainer and not the trainee," the blonde beside him suggested, grinning as Watson turned a frown on her. She batted her eyes at him innocently in reply. She so did love teasing him. When he got really embarrassed his ears would tinge pink.

"Whose side are you on?" he asked in mock indignation.

"Hopefully mine," the child said as she turned her dimpled smile on 'cousin' Helen. "You think I should get Winston too, right?"

The blonde gave an adoring smile to the girl. "I would give you anything you wanted if it were in my power," she sweetly promised.

The darker version of Helen snorted softly and rolled her eyes. "Do not encourage her, please. You'll understand eventually that God made children cute so that you have to keep them even when they drive you to want to throttle them."

"Oh, I can't imagine ever feeling the need to do that," the blonde naively refuted, once again staring adoringly at her daughter.

Helen and John both snorted. "Can I have that in writing?" he asked cheekily.

"No," the brunette answered quickly before her younger version could answer, "you cannot."

Ashley, not liking that the adults were not focusing on her, piped up. "You know, my birthday is coming up. Winston would make a really nice present," she blatantly suggested to Watson, who grinned at the child's attempt at manipulation.

Her parents merely shook their heads. "Ashley," her mother warned, "I already said you could not have James' dog."

The child pouted and scuffled her socked feet on the floor. "But it's going to be my birthday. You have to give me what I want for my birthday. It's the rule."

"Where did you hear that?" her father asked in surprise. "There is no such rule."

"Uh huh, there is too," his daughter insisted.

"Is not," he contradicted.

"Is too, daddy! You have to give me what I want for my birthday," she repeated confidently.

"We will try to give you an excellent birthday present on your birthday," John promised. "You will just have to wait to see what it is."

Tilting her head, the child turned her big puppy dog eyes on her father and said, "If you really loved me you'll give me what I want for my birthday."

John's mouth dropped open and he turned to the brunette beside him. "Really? Six years old and she's already using love as a guilt trip? Tell me that's not an inherent female trait?" he sarcastically aimed at his lover.

"Oh, then I guess you're a female too because you've done the same exact thing," she retorted back with a glare.

"And what fun family drama am I missing?" Nikola greeted as he entered the room carrying two more bottles of wine, one in each hand.

"Nikola, stay out of my wine cellar. It's bad enough you drain the one I have at home. There's no need to drain this one too," Helen chastised him, though her heart wasn't really in it. She was still too annoyed with John's inference that women used loved as a tool of manipulation.

Tesla grinned, knowing from the look she was aiming at Druitt that he was the one in disfavor and not the vampire himself, and answered, "It's her cellar, not yours."

"We're the same person," Helen hissed, then added "Well, sort of," as she caught the look of confusion on her daughter's face.

Ignoring her fussing, he wandered over to the table to get the cork screw, asking his goddaughter as he passed, "And what are you up to, little one?"

Sensing an ally, Ashley turned her smile on her godfather. "I want Winston for my birthday but daddy doesn't really love me enough to give him to me. He said I have to wait for my present."

"Really?" Nikola asked with an amused tone as he watched Druitt sputter and squawk, "What?"

"Ashley!" her mother reprimanded, "That is not what your father said." Her younger version had a much startled look on her face. Perhaps her little angel wasn't quite the little angel she thought she was.

Watson grinned. "She's good," he said, motioning to the child with his head.

"Yeah, you can laugh now but just keep in mind," John said to the sleuth in Latin, "that she's your godchild the first go round, which means you'll be on the receiving end of her little schemes too." He laughed smugly as his startled friend quickly looked back at the child while beside him the blonde's eyes widened. "Was there any doubt he was going to be the godfather? Really?" he dryly asked her.

"Um, hello?" Tesla interjected. "There was me?"

"You were playing dead and had been underground for decades," Helen reminded him.

Waving her comment away with his hand, Nikola remarked, "Details, details," and took a sip from his wine glass. Not a bad year at all he thought as the smooth liquid slid down his throat. Not a great year either.

Tiring of turning her head back and forth as the adults conversed, the child groaned loudly to get their attention. "If I can't have Winston for my birthday then I want my first choice," she declared as she walked up to stand before her parents.

"And that would be?" her father prompted with a raised eyebrow.

Ashley grinned broadly at her parents as she dropped her bombshell. "A baby sister."

Caught off guard, the blonde version of Helen started coughing while her darker counterpart and John's mouths dropped. They hadn't seen that coming. Their daughter had not mentioned wanting a sibling before. James, meanwhile, regarded his godchild… well according to John she had been his godchild… with renewed respect. She was a sharp, sneaky little thing.

Rolling his eyes, Tesla observed, "Puppies are cuter and less messy." The very idea of Helen giving John having another child was not something he wanted to contemplate.

"But baby sisters are more fun to play princess with," Ashley countered. "And puppies can't talk or play coloring book."

Her parents exchanged worried looks. "Pet, I'm not sure that's possible," John slowly said. "We can't just get a baby because you want one."

"Sure you can," she asserted. "Don't you know where babies come from, daddy?" she asked her father. Behind her, Nikola and James snickered, having a grand old time watching John be put on the hot seat.

"Do you?" he returned, wondering what crazy answer his only child would cook up.

She nodded. "Uh huh. Babies come from mommies and daddies sleeping together."

Eyes large, John turned to the mother of his child, noting that she also had a deer in the headlights look, before turning back to his daughter. "Who told you that?"

The child shrugged then scrunched up her face. "You and mommy sleep together every night. How come we don't have a baby yet?"

"Um…," John answered, throwing a panicky look at Helen.

"Darling, perhaps we can discuss this when we get home," she suggested. At which time she could come up with some benign answer for her clever child's delicate question.

Eyeing her father, Ashley said, "Maybe you're not doing it right, daddy."

"Excuse me?" John retorted, shocked at his daughter's suggestion. He heard Helen's snort of laughter and turned to glare at her, then at the other three adults laughing as well.

Thinking he didn't hear her, Ashley repeated herself. "Maybe you're not doing it right." She patted his arm, much like she had seen her mother do to others when they needed her help. "Do you need help making a baby, daddy?"

Laughter erupted in the room at Druitt's expense. "No, I do not need help!" he forcefully replied. Where did she get this stuff from he wondered.

Helen bit down on her bottom lip trying, and failing, to stop the laughter that kept bubbling up. The flushed look on John's face was quite amusing. He was not at all pleased at having his sexual prowess questioned, especially by his young daughter.

"I don't think you know what you're doing," she criticized, earning her a very unfavorable look from her disgruntled father.

"I can assure you I most certainly know what I'm doing in the bedroom," he retorted, earning himself a slap on the arm and a hiss of "John!" by the child's mother.

Ashley patted his arm again. "Are you sure, daddy? I bet we can get you a picture book that shows you how to do it," she assured earnestly. "You know, like my potty book."

Dropping his head as his cheeks flushed deeper, her father gasped, "Oh, dear Lord." He was never going to live this one down he knew as he listened to James and Nikola roar with laughter while younger Helen had clapped a hand over her mouth in a sad attempt to maintain her lady-like appearance as she giggled hysterically. Her older version gave up her battle to stifle her giggles and had thrown her head back onto the sofa to laugh with abandonment while her arms clutched at her stomach.

"Thank you for your offer of help, my dear child," John said through gritted teeth, "but I think I can manage on my own."

She eyed him skeptically. "I don't know. I haven't seen any results yet," she said, causing another roar of laughter from the other adults.

Gasping for air between laughs, Nikola added, "Suddenly it all makes sense." He smirked at James as he motioned towards their classmate. "If only he had had picture books at Oxford. Imagine what he could have accomplished!" Watson laughed so hard he ended up sliding out of his seat and onto the floor where he was immediately set upon by his dog. Still laughing, he held Winston at bay after getting a big sloppy lick across the mouth and nose.

Growling, John started to rise to throttle Tesla and was stopped as Helen caught and held fast to his sleeve, softly barking his name in between laughs. Held captive, he turned his anger onto her. "What about your mother? Why does she not bear any blame in this?"

Helen stopped laughing to glare back at him. "What?"

"Don't be silly," Ashley said with a roll of her eyes that was a perfect imitation of her father as she came to place both of her hands on her mother's leg. "Mommy's a doctor. She knows everything already!"

"That is so not true," John muttered, annoyed by the enormous smirk his lover beamed at him.

"Uh huh, is so," his stubborn child insisted.

"Is so," Helen agreed and grabbed her daughter to shower her with kisses, causing Ashley to squeal and giggle. She did so love her little girl. Losing Ashley had been the most painful time of her life and to have that joy back was the greatest gift she had ever been given. Lighthearted, she looked at her partner and grinned. Together they had unintentionally recreated their little masterpiece. Reaching over, she stroked his hand hoping to abate his temper. The warm feeling of her hand on his and the intimate way she was looking at him helped to squelch the annoyance he was feeling and he let out a long, put upon sigh.

"What's your third choice for a birthday present?" Helen asked her still giggling daughter.

"Nothing," Ashley insisted with a strong shake of her head. "It's either a baby sister or the dog," she proclaimed as she held out both arms to emphasize there were only two options on the table.

"I'll buy the dog!" Tesla offered quickly. "How much?" he asked James, who just chuckled.

"Forget it," Watson grinned as he pointed to his godchild. "I want another one of her. Life would never be dull with such a little negotiator in the family."

Helen grinned. It was true. Ashley was a handful and had a smart little mouth on her. Life would never be dull. Another one would only double the fun. She squeezed her eyes shut briefly as she gave John a sweet smile. She would wait until they got home and had recovered from this crazy trip before she broke the news to him that he would be a father again. Perhaps she'd even buy him a picture book to explain how the birds and bees worked she thought wickedly to herself.


	9. Ashley and The Four

Five Hours in Ye Old London

Chapter 9: Ashley and The Four

Pushing himself up from the floor, a parched James headed back to the side table. "I need a drink. Anyone else want one?" he asked as he reached for the sherry bottle. He hadn't laughed this hard in quite a while. Druitt and blonde Helen both held up their hands indicating they wanted some.

The darker version of Helen shook her head, standing instead to head over to the round table where she poured herself another cup of tea. It was lukewarm but now that she knew she was expecting Helen was careful to watch her intake of alcohol. Ashley, trailing after her mother, asked for a Capri-Sun to drink.

"Darling, we don't have any of those here. You'll have to wait until we get home. How about some tea or water?"

Ashley wrinkled up her little nose and groaned. "I don't want those. How about Kool-Aid? The grape kind?"

"Sorry, none of that here either," Helen answered as she finished preparing her tea and began fixing a scone for herself. She was entering her third month of pregnancy and, as she was having a good stomach day, decided she was going to take advantage of eating while she could keep it down.

Giving a little whine, Ashley bounced up and down and suggested, "A fruit smoothie?"

"A fruit smoothie?" her mother replied with a laugh. "Yeah, not happening. We are definitely going to have to watch your sugar intake when we get home," she said semi-sternly to the child as she tried to recall how many of these types of sugary drinks her daughter ingested weekly. "You can have water or tea," she repeated.

Not answering, the girl turned away as a movement through the small gap in the curtains caught her attention. Moving over to the window, Ashley poked her face through the two layers of curtains, one a light lace and the other a heavier blackout fabric, to stare out of the window. Below she took in the bustling street scene with great interested. The first floor of the Magnus home was raised five feet above the busy street, partly to help cut down on the noise. Ashley's eyes got large as one of the horse drawn carriages came to a halt at the house next door and a lady in a bright gown and feathered hat descended from the carriage. "Wow," she gushed and turned quickly to rush out of the room.

"Ashley!" Helen cried and heavily dropped her cup down onto its saucer to chase after her errant child. Loud footsteps echoed down the hall as both rushed toward the front entrance. Helen just managed to yank her daughter back into the house before the child could get out the front door.

"Let go, mommy!" Ashley protested and tried to pull away as her mother slammed the door shut.

"What's going on?" a confused John demanded as he arrived to find Helen with an iron grip on their struggling daughter.

"That's what I'd like to know," Helen answered as she turned and practically dragged their daughter back to the drawing room. "Ashley, stop!" she ordered as she ushered her into the room. The other Helen was on her feet, alarmed at child's sudden flight, and watched the scene with increasing concern on her lovely face.

"But, mommy, I want to see the lady in the princess dress and pet the horse!" Ashley cried and tried to pull free again. "I want to ride in the carriage."

"You cannot go outside," her mother fussed as she bent down to give her disobedient child a stern glare. "It's dangerous."

"It is not," the girl disagreed and, managing to pull free, turned to run back out only to find her father blocking the doorway. Druitt slammed the door shut and shook his head down at his daughter. "Your mother has forbid you to leave the house, young lady."

"But daddy, I want to go see the horse," the six year old demanded and stomped her feet angrily. "It's going to be gone if you don't move!"

John merely flattened his feet on the ground and placed his hands on his hips. "Enough, Ashley," he softly but sternly said. "Obey your mother."

"I don't wanna," the stubborn child retorted as she rushed back over to the window. "The horse is going away!" she cried and turned back to give her parents a pouty glare. "I didn't get to pet it because of you!" she accused.

"You'll live," John sighed and exchanged looks with the mother of his child. It was inevitable that any child of his and Helen's would be stubborn but there were times when he wondered how any parent made it to the next day without throttling their offspring. As this was Helen's second go round with rearing Ashley she had a good idea of what to expect and do but for John it was all a new and, at times, frustrating experience. Still, he wouldn't trade his stubborn little princess for anything. She was a perfect little blend of her parents. Noticing the worry on the younger version of his beloved's face he shook his head and mouthed, "Stubborn," in reference to their child. She nodded back in agreement and a little smile appeared at the corner of her lip.

"In two days time you will get to pet plenty of animals," her mother threw out to avert another temper tantrum. "Some of which are related to horses." Returning to the table, Helen retrieved her cold cup of tea and sopped up the spilt tea on the table with her napkin.

Interest piqued, Ashley forgot the horse and carriage outside and came back to her mother's side. "I do?" she asked in surprise.

Pleased that her plan worked, Helen began pouring herself a fresh cup of tea. "You do if you can behave yourself like a good little girl. The Old City Zoo is hosting their annual evening gala and I've bought us a table, complete with several very special golden tickets." She poured some milk into her tea and slowly twirled her spoon to mix the liquids. "Want to know what those tickets are for?" she teased as she sat down.

"Uh huh," Ashley asked as she rested her hands on her mother's knees and looked up at her with bright eyes.

"Well, the first golden ticket is for…" Helen began before taking a long sip to prolong the suspense. She almost spilled some of the tea on herself when her anxious child tugged on the waist of her dress and said "For what, mommy?"

Giving a soft laugh, she said, "Feeding a baby giraffe. Do you know how one of those eats?" she asked and grinned as her enthusiastic child shook her head. Helen balled up her fist. "A giraffe has a long, black tongue that it uses," she explained as she slowly unrolled her fist, "to reach out and grab its food and pull it back into its mouth," she continued as her fingers tickled the child before pulling back into a fist.

"Ew!" Ashley giggled in delight.

"Ew is right," Tesla chimed in. "Some of us are drinking here," he complained as he waved his wine glass at Helen, who flashed him a dimpled smile in return. For a vampire Tesla was the most squeamish of the group.

"I get to feed a baby giraffe?" Ashley interrupted, wanting confirmation.

"You and one other," Helen confirmed. "Each ticket is for two people."

"I want you to feed the giraffe with me," the eager child declared and hugged her mother's knees.

"Deal," Helen said and reached down to stroke her daughter's golden head. The child could be a major brat when she was unhappy or fussed but overall she was generally a happy and vibrant child. One just had to know to divert the child's endless energy whenever a tantrum threatened to take place.

"What are the other golden tickets for?" John asked, coming over to sit in a chair near his family. "I might want in on this deal," he said as he lightly pulled on his daughter's pony tail and smiled down at her.

"Well, another ticket is for hand feeding birds in the tropical aviary," Helen shared as she picked up her forgotten scone and took a bite. She smiled as the sugary delight hit her taste buds and lowered the scone down to Ashley after the child opened her mouth to indicate she wanted a bite.

"Ah, that one would be right up my alley," Nikola pointed out. "Put me down for that one. I wonder if there will be any pigeons."

"There are always pigeons about. They are rats with wings," John grumbled. "And who said you were going on the zoo trip?"

"Everyone is going," Helen commanded and gave the father of her child a reprimanding look. "I have bought a whole table and The Four will accompany Ashley to this outing in early celebration of her birthday."

"Happy birthday to me," Ashley sung out, causing all the adults to laugh. "Do I get presents too?"

"On your actual birthday you will," John answered, "And no, we are not going to tell you what the presents are yet. You will just have to wait."

"The four?" James questioned.

John smirked at him. "There are four of us left."

"Interesting," Watson replied and smirked back. From John's smirk at him and Nikola's frown James deduced that he was the other member of The Five still alive. Had it been Nigel, Tesla would have let it be known as he was fond of the youngest member of the group.

"What else do I get to do, Mommy?" Ashley asked as she climbed into her mother's lap.

"Let's see," Helen murmured as she racked her brain to remember which of the ticket options she had selected when she purchased the table seating for the charity event. "I think there's a ticket for the reptile house to pet a boa and lizard, maybe?"

Nikola smirked and said, "Reptiles. Right up your alley, Johnny boy."

Helen cut Druitt off before he could give a snarky reply. "Actually, I think Henry would enjoy attending the reptile house with Ashley."

"Wolf boy likes reptiles?" Tesla wondered aloud, "Isn't that a confusion of the order of the food chain?"

Coming to sit on the other side of Helen, her younger counterpart looked at the child in wonder. "You aren't afraid of touching the reptiles?" she asked the child.

"Uh uh," Ashley grinned as she reached for her mother's cup of tea for a sip. "I'm not scared at all. We have a lizard man who lives in the Sanctuary with us and he's nice. His name is Bill."

"You have a lizard man living with you?" James repeated with a raised eyebrow as he stood up and walked over to join them.

"We have a lot of things living with us," John said dryly. "It's positively a zoo. Dr. Magnus does like her beasties, don't you my dear?"

"I like the beasties too," Ashley piped up and ate the remains of her mother's scone. Helen cut through another scone and prepared it with more cream and jam, mindful of the two little hands residing on either side of her plate. She wasn't surprised when Ashley grabbed one half of the sweet but was caught off guard when John reached over and took the other half as he proclaimed, "Like mother like daughter." He grinned and bit into the scone as Helen shot him a disgruntled look. Rolling her eyes, Helen began the process again as she corrected, "They are not beasties, they are abnormals. And the Sanctuary is not a zoo."

"Potato, po-tat-toe, same difference" John retorted as he finished off his scone. Noticing him eyeing her new scones, Helen tilted her knife up and pointed it at him in warning, causing him to grin again. "What other activities are there going to be at this zoo event?" he asked as he reached over to make his own scone.

"There will horse carriage rides," she said and laughed as Ashley leaned her head back to stare up at her with a jam smeared grin as she cried "Oh boy!"

"I'll do that one with you," John called.

"I'll pass on that one," Nikola muttered as he refilled his glass.

"What about me? I mean, the other James," Watson asked. "I am sure he would want to be part of the fun," he said as he smiled at the golden child who was once again in need of a wash. She had finished off her mother's tea, leaving a jam smear on the rim that her mother was eyeing with disfavor.

"Oh, well there's always the shooting gallery in the arcade," Helen suggested, amused by his desire to join in on the family activities. "The games are often rigged to make them difficult to win and James is a rather good shot so I am sure he will be able to win at the games."

"What's an arcade?" Ashley asked as she reached for the teapot and frowned as her 'cousin' Helen grabbed it first and poured more tea into the empty cup. The blonde, having grown accustom to the child's personality, merely smirked back at her in response to the frown.

"It's an area filled with different types of games and prizes." John looked at James as he continued to tell his daughter, "You just need to point to the toy you want and I am sure that your uncle James will win it for you." James grinned and nodded his head as if in consent.

"Okay," Ashley said excitedly and peered back up at her mother. "Can we go to the zoo now?"

"In two days," she reminded her. "If you're good."

"I'll be good," the child promised as she began to pour milk and then dump large spoonfuls of sugar into her mother's teacup. The two Helens frowned at the concoction then each reached for the sugar and milk creamer to move them out of the child's grasp. "Yuck," Ashley said and stuck her tongue out after tasting her tea blend.

Draining the remainder of his wine, Nikola announced, "Well kids, I think it's time we head back downstairs. The portal should be ready within the half hour."

"So soon?" the blonde gasped, turning to stare at the child she would not get to see again for almost a century.

"I'm afraid so," Nikola answered, giving her a sympathetic look. He had seen firsthand how much she loved her child.

The room got very quiet suddenly and the child noticed the sad looks the adults shared with one another. "You can come home with us too," Ashley offered her new relatives. "We have a big house."

"I am afraid that isn't possible," the blonde answered softly as she twisted her hands together in her lap. How in the world was she going to let her daughter leave? She felt a hand squeeze her shoulder and knew it was James's way of giving her courage to do the inevitable.

John gave Helen a concerned look as his eyes volleyed between her and her younger version. He knew that the parting was going to be painful.

"We still have a little time," Helen said to lighten the heavy mood in the room.

"Of course we do," James said as he met her eyes and gave her a soft smile while he once again gave the younger Helen a squeeze on the shoulder.

When no one moved, Nikola suggested, "Shall we?" and began to stroll towards the door. He was not one for maudlin goodbyes and he was looking forward to the Sasquatch's excellent Hungarian cabbage rolls for dinner. Besides, it wasn't as if they were leaving Helen and James behind. Only their younger incarnations.

"Are we going down the secret staircase again?" Ashley asked as her mother placed her on the ground and bounced up and down happily as Helen nodded. She took her mother's hand and then held out the other to the other Helen. Taking the child's hand, the blonde smiled again and the trio headed off after Tesla.

Behind them, John and James stared after the trio until they had exited the room then looked at one another. "That's just weird," John said with a shake of his head.

"I know. Two Helens," James added with a shake of his head. "That alone is enough to bring the universe to a crashing halt." The two men laughed and headed out after their group.


	10. Distract and Grab

Five Hours in Ye Old London

Chapter 10: Distract and Grab

The group reassembled down in the main room of the London Sanctuary. Tesla and Helen busied themselves by inspecting the device's charging progress while the younger Helen stood in the center of the room watching her daughter entertain herself. The large, central space was open enough for the child room to spin around in her dress and her giggles echoed in the space, along with the occasional woofs of Winston as he waddled excited around her.

Suddenly, Ashley slipped in her socked feet and fell backward, luckily barreling into the blonde, who caught and clutched the child to her waist to stabilize her.

"Oops," Ashley said, giggling as she looked up at her 'cousin.'

"Careful," the blonde gently reprimanded with a smile as she stroked her daughter's back. She had often wondered what her child would be like and now, as she held her in her arms, she realized how incredible it felt to be a mother to this amazing little creature.

"I'm dizzy," Ashley said with a wide, goofy, jam smudged grin.

"You're silly," young Helen teased, staring down adoringly at her future offspring.

"I'm not silly, you're silly," the child chanted back with a giggle.

"You're both silly," John tossed out with a smile as he walked by and headed over to stand by the tall table that he had used earlier in the day to set Ashley upon. He then slowly pulled off his long leather duster, laying it over the back of a chair, and stretched his long limbs as he watched the two golden beauties still locked in an embrace. His movements caught the eye of the older one, whose breath caught as she stared at his handsome, lean form. Noticing her watching him, he raised an eyebrow at her in a leering fashion and laughed softly to himself when she began to blush and lowered her eyes.

"Where is James?" she asked, glancing back up at him as the child pulled away and turned to go to her father.

John shrugged, feeling it crude to mention that Watson had gone to the men's room. "He'll join us shortly I'm sure."

Eyeing her father's jacket in which she knew he tended to tuck items into his many pockets, Ashley walked towards it thinking maybe she would still manage to find candy in one of them. On those rare occasions when they went outside of the Sanctuary grounds, John often carried small treats with him for the child. Both were very fond of soft caramels. She had just started to put her hand into a pocket when he grabbed her wrist to stop her.

"Ashley," he hissed sternly, "What have we told you about reaching into our pockets, young lady?"

The child screwed up her face guiltily. "Not to?"

Startled at his reprimand, the blonde rushed over to stand beside the child and glared at him defensively. "What's wrong?" she demanded as her first thought went to John's penchant for carrying a knife.

"Why are you not to reach into our pockets without our permission?" John prompted his daughter as he ignored her mother. It was important that she remembered this fact considering the types of things her parents often carried in their clothing.

"Um, because you carry a weapon in your coat?" Ashley correctly guessed as she stared down at her feet to avoid her father's strict face. Meanwhile, though her father still had a grip on her wrist, she wiggled her fingers and managed to get them half way into a pocket of his coat. It was enough for her to figure out what the square item was.

"Your knife!" Helen cried and wrapped her arms around the child to yank her away.

"It's not a knife," the girl said as she tried to shrug her 'cousin' off of her. "It's an iPhone and I want it," she demanded as she tried to pull it out of John's pocket only to be stopped by her father.

"What's an iPhone?" the blonde asked in confusion as she continued to challenge Druitt.

"A communication device," John answered as he pulled his daughter's hand out of his pocket and pushed it away. "And no, you may not have it. You keep breaking mine," he reminded the child before looking Helen in the eye. "And just for the record, _both_ of Ashley's parents carry weapons on their persons… with good reason," he firmly shared. While he understood her concern, he was also a bit insulted that she would think he would do something to harm their child. That version of Druitt had ceased to exist for several years now. Not that the younger version of Helen would know that.

"I do not," the child protested and tried to reach for the phone again.

"You have broken two of mine already," John retorted, pulling his coat out of her grasp and catching the phone as it slipped out of the pocket.

Insulted, Ashley pursed her lips in a pout and crossed her arms angrily. "Those were accidents, daddy!"

Arriving on the scene, Watson looked between the quarrelsome three as he asked, "What's going on?"

"John and Ashley are arguing over some sort of communication device," Helen answered as she continued to stand behind the child at the ready to interfere if necessary.

"Communication device?" James repeated, his green eyes lighting up at the prospect. "Like the one Helen carried?" He noticed the blue item in Druitt's hand and grinned.

"Exactly like the one I carried," the older version of Helen answered as she and Tesla joined the group. "And no, you may not look at it," she forbid the eager sleuth. Watson frowned back at her then returned his attention to the item in John's hand.

Meanwhile, father and child continued their battle of wills. "The first one crashing down the staircase may have been an accident," John told his sulky child, "but you smashing the second one with the paperweight off your mother's desk does not qualify as an accident."

"Does too. Omnom was stuck and wouldn't go," Ashley defended. "I only hit the phone to make the game work again."

"That does not justify smashing my phone to bits," John argued back and moved the phone to his other hand as the child tried to grab at it.

"I want the phone," Ashley demanded as she tried to leap up for his hand.

Pointing at the brunette, John said, "Get your mother's phone. You can break hers for once."

Scowling, Helen replied, "I don't have my phone anymore. I had to dispose of it along with my clothing when I arrived here. And she has broken my phone before."

"Well, that was certainly foolish of you, Helen" Nikola interjected. "If I was stuck back in the sticks… oh wait, I am!" he said with sarcasm, "I would keep every bit of modern technology I had on hand just so that I wouldn't die of complete and utter boredom in this backwater of a city."

Before Helen could reply, Ashley suddenly leapt at her father with her little hands raised in a martial arts stance yelling "E–ya!" Instinctively, John blocked her and she in turn came back at him with a series of fast hand movements. "I want the iPhone, Daddy!" she called out as she came close to almost grabbing hold of it.

Grinning, John challenged, "Come and get it!" and continued to carefully block his daughter's blows as he switched the phone back and forth between his hands, keeping them low enough so that she could actually reach the phone if she were to succeed getting past his blocking. It wasn't as if she could really harm him due to her small size. Her spunk and determination, on the other hand, made him quite proud of his little offspring.

Horrified, the younger version of Helen had raised her hand to her chest as she watched father and daughter battle with one another. "Stop it!" she demanded.

"It's alright," her older version said calmly. "They are just playing."

"Playing?" the blonde gasped in disbelief. "She's going to get hurt!"

"She is a bit young for fighting," James noted though his tone and face clearly registered his amusement at the sight. From everything he had observed about Druitt since the child's arrival it was apparent to him that his old friend clearly adored his only child and would not harm her.

"She'll be fine," Nikola reassured with a dismissive wave of his hand as he leaned up against the other end of the table to watch the free entertainment. "I see her training is coming along well though she needs to work on putting more power behind her strikes," he critiqued. "She hits like a little girl."

"She is a little girl," Helen reminded him as she kept an eye on the match. "That's all the power her little six year old body has." Ashley's hand to eye coordination was very good for a child of her age, but then she wasn't any ordinary child. Seeing the anxious concern on the blonde's face, she reminded her, "We did warn you that our style of parenting would be different from that of the Victorian age. It is not uncommon in our time period for children to have martial arts training starting at a very young age."

"Really?" James said. "Even the girls?"

"Especially the girls," Helen answered. "One should always be able to defend themselves."

Frustrated her blows were being blocked successfully, Ashley began using her legs to kick out at John.

"She needs work on her kicking technique," James assessed, finding the sight of the little one rough housing with her father comical.

The right side of Helen's mouth turned up in amusement. "I will be sure to pass that on to her tutor. The good Dr. Watson does take so well any criticism of his training techniques," she mused as James' head whipped around to stare at her with an open mouth. "What?" she chuckled. "John told you were Ashley's godfather the first time."

"Whereas I am her godfather the second time," Tesla reminded them.

Moving aside to avoid his daughter's second kicking attempt, John added, "Only because you nagged at Helen while she was in labor." He jerkily motioned to Watson with his head as he kept his focus on the energetic child. "He's still my preference."

"I did not nag," Nikola shot back. "I asked nicely, didn't I, Helen?" he prompted with a lopsided smile to encourage her agreement.

She gave him a raised eyebrow in response. "I was in heavy labor. I would have agreed to anything to move the delivery along faster… but yes, you did ask nicely," she agreed as she reached over and pinched his cheek.

"Anything?" Nikola repeated in surprise.

"Too late," Helen laughed.

Meanwhile, Ashley's third attempt resulted in her getting her leg tangled up in the full skirt of her dress and pitching forward. Her father easily caught her before she fell to the floor and stood her back upright.

"And that is why we do not wear dresses when we fight," John gently reminded his daughter while giving her mother a pointed look.

"I had to put the dress on to blend in," she defended. "You know very well that this big gown with its restrictive corseting is last thing in the world I would want to wear." She looked over at her younger version and added, "No offense."

"None taken," the blonde replied. "I would gladly give up these gowns for something less restrictive and heavy."

"Oh, Helen, you didn't blend in to society the first go round," Nikola interjected. "If you had been born 100 years earlier they would have burned you at the stake for being a witch… you know, for all your uppity ideas such as equality for women and all that," he teased, giving her a toothy grin.

"And a 100 years later people are still trying to drive a stake through your heart for being a vampire," Helen teased him back, "you know, for all your uppity ideas such as world domination and all that." The old friends exchanged an appreciative smile of admiration for one another.

"They wouldn't have to keep trying if someone just got a good aim in," John said, breaking up the appreciation fest.

"The same could be said of you, Jack-O," Nikola retorted.

"Not in front of the b-a-b-y," Helen hissed at the quarreling duo. Honestly, she was surrounded by children and only one of them of hers and under age seven.

Placing her hands on her hips, Ashley frowned at her mother. "Mommy, I am not a baby. I'm a big girl!"

Helen smiled at her clever child. "Of course you're not. I apologize."

"Well, perhaps as a big girl, you'll want to sleep in your own bed when we get home," John suggested to his child hopefully.

"Uh uh," Ashley vigorously shook her head. "No way. I'm sleeping with you and mommy forever," she declared, grinning as her parents both loudly groaned.

"Big girls sleep by themselves," John tried again. His daughter was a kicker in her sleep and he kept hoping that she'd finally start sleeping in her own bed regularly. The only reason they allowed her to share their bed as much as they did was that the child was plagued by night terrors at times, possibly caused by faint recollections from her former life. Her most common reoccurring dream was about being taken from her mother by a "bad lady."

His suggestion was quickly shot down. "Nuh uh. Mommy's a big girl and she sleeps with you all the time," Ashley said, crossing her arms again and glaring at her father. "You're just making that up," she accused, "so you don't have to share the bed with me. It's a big bed, daddy."

"You set him straight, little one," Nikola egged his godchild on. With her sleeping in between John and Helen every night there would be little extracurricular activity going on in the bed. The parents both shot him a look that clearly said they knew exactly why he was encouraging the child to sleep with her parents.

"Your mother sometimes sleeps alone, when I'm out on a mission," John tried again. Granted, that was few and far in between when that he was not able to return to her by bedtime.

"No she doesn't," the child smartly answered. "Cuz I sleep with mommy then too."

All the adults chuckled, except John, who sighed and said to the mother of his child, "I guess we stay with plan B."

"Plan B," Helen agreed, amused by John's many attempts to get their daughter out of their bed. The poor fellow was going to be in for a shock with the future addition of another child. They were going to have to get a bigger bed eventually.

"What's plan B?" her younger counterpart asked.

"We wait until she falls asleep and move her into her own bed," Helen replied in Latin. "She's not particular happy about waking up in her own bed but it does afford us a few hours of peaceful sleep without a little pair of cold feet pressed up against our backs."

"Or other parts of our anatomy," John complained.

Using her father's distraction, Ashley quickly seized the phone, calling out "Ha ha, I got the phone," and raced away to hide behind her mother's full skirt.

Helen gave John a smug look. "I guess the old saying 'divide and conquer' would be 'distract and grab' in your case, Mr. Druitt."

"Something she no doubt learned from her mother," John smirked back. "Sneaky little thing, like her mother."

"Clever little thing," Helen corrected, pointing a finger at him, "like her mother."

"Touché," he said as Ashley peered around her mother's skirt to stick her tongue out at him. "I got your phone now!" she called out gleefully.

With a puff of red, John disappeared only to reappear behind the child. "And now I have you," he grinned down at his startled daughter who squealed and raced around to the front of her mother and clutched at Helen's skirt. Peering around at her father once more, Ashley grinned. "I have mommy and I have your phone. I win!"

John laughed. "Well, I suppose having mummy does give you the win," he said as he winked at the mother of his child, who had turned to look at him over her left shoulder.

Taking advantage of their distraction, James said, "Speaking of the phone," and scooped up the child to placed her on the table next to him. "How about you show me how that device works, little one?"

"You don't know how an iPhone works?" Ashley asked with a crinkle of her little nose.

Helen frowned at Watson. "You do not want to see that," she instructed seriously.

James snorted. "The devil I don't."

"The devil he doesn't," Ashley repeated, earning her a pat on the head by Watson.

"Such language for a little girl," Nikola sniffed and shook his head at the pair. "As a good godfather I would never use such phrases," he loftily promised to Helen, causing her to give him an incredulous look. "Aren't you glad you chose me to be her godfather?"

"Thrilled," John mocked and rolled his eyes.

James ignored the jab and leaned in close to stare at the device as the girl swiped her little hand across the screen to unlock it. It didn't work. "I need the password," Ashley pouted, looking up at her father.

John shook his head. "I'm not giving you my password."

"Daddy!" Ashley whined and kicked her feet out in annoyance.

"Give her the password," James repeated, giving his old friend a hopeful look. He really wanted to see the communication device at work.

"I will enter the password myself but I'm not giving her the password," John insisted and held out his hand to his pouty child who glared grumpily back at him. She finally relented and was rewarded a minute later with an unlocked phone.

"Excellent," James declared as he took in the illuminated images as Ashley began flipping through the screens with her little hand.

Giving John a shake of her head, Helen muttered, "This is so wrong."

"What? James looking at technology he shouldn't know about or Ashley showing him how to use the technology he shouldn't know about?" Druitt questioned in amusement. The sight of his six year old instructing a member of The Five on how to use an iPhone would be something that would remain with him forever.


	11. Technology, Dear Watson

Author's Note: Reuploading this file to correct a few errors.

Five Hours in Ye Old London

Chapter11: Technology, Dear Watson

Giving John a shake of her head, Helen muttered, "This is so wrong."

"What? James looking at technology he shouldn't know about or Ashley showing him how to use the technology he shouldn't know about?" Druitt questioned in amusement. The sight of his six year old instructing a member of The Five on how to use an iPhone would be something that would remain with him forever.

"Both," Helen grumbled tiredly as she folded her arms across her chest. "James has an almost photographic memory. This is just going to torment him for a century until he can gain access to the technology again."

"Then I will just have something to look forward to," James retorted as he watched excitedly with large eyes as the child open up something called "Cut the Rope" on the communication device and hit the "play" button.

"This is Omnom," Ashley informed her new relative as she played the game. "You have to cut the ropes to feed him. He's always hungry!"

"Fascinating. And what happens when you feed him," James inquired and smiled as she successfully feed the creature on the screen.

"You make it to the next level," Ashley declared as she tackled the next task. "I've made it to the 15th level before… then Omnom got stuck and I had to hit Daddy's phone to get the game to work again."

"There will be no hitting of my phone again," John warned and gave his daughter a stern glare.

Looking up at him through her thick dark lashes, the child's mouth curled up into a naughty little smile that was so reminiscent of his own. He pointed at her in warning again and she stuck her tongue out partly at him. She then frowned when she failed to pass to the next level due to her distracted play with her father. "Daddy, you killed Omnom," she complained.

"I did no such thing," he retorted. "You're the one playing the game. The blame is entirely yours."

Annoyed, the child flipped through the screen and landed upon another game. "Let's play Angry Birds," she said and started up the game.

"Angry Birds? That sounds ominous," James said.

"It's fun," the child informed the sleuth, whose head was pressed close to hers to watch the action on the little screen. "You throw the birds to try and knock out the piggies," she explained. "I'm really good at the game but daddy's terrible. He can't get past the second screen," she proudly declared and smirked up at her father.

"It's not as easy as it looks," John defended. Video games were not his forte.

"Oh, please. Anyone can get past the second screen," Nikola snorted. "Including the six year old."

"And how would you know? It's not like you play video games," Druitt said doubtfully.

"Hey, I get bored sometimes and give in to juvenile habits like everyone else," Tesla shrugged. "At least I can get past the second screen," he snickered. "I'll bet even the Wookie with his big hairy paws can get past the second screen."

"He can," Helen said with a little laugh.

"I'll bet even junior here could get past the second screen," Nikola challenged. "Go on, let him try."

"I don't think that's necessary," John replied and was immediately countered by Watson, who piped up, "I do. Let me have a crack at it." To the child, he nicely asked, "May I have a try?" She peered at him with one eye squinted closed in deep thought and then shrugged. "Okay," Ashley agreed and handed him the iPhone. "But only for one game. Then I get it back."

Thrilled at finally getting to handle the active communication device, Watson mimicked the child's movements from before and began playing the game. Helen had to chuckle at the way his nose scrunched up as he intently focused on playing the game. It took him three games but he finally got the hang of the amount of pressure to apply to the small screen with his fingers and had worked out the best maneuvers to get to the next screen. At the smug grin that spread across his face, Tesla rightly guessed that "You've made it past the second screen, haven't you? See, even prehistoric man here can play the game, Johnny."

Just then James's face clouded up. "Battery low?" he read aloud and looked up from the screen. "What does that mean?"

"It means the device needs to be recharged. It'll have to wait until we get home as there's no way to do it here," John replied and held his hand out for the device.

"Oh," James muttered in disappointment. It was so unfair. He finally got to use the device and it stopped working.

"Allow me," Nikola offered grandiosely and removed the iPhone from Watson's hand. Touching his fingertip into the slot for the USB cord he recharged the device at lightning speed and then went to hand it back to James, only to have Ashley reach around at the last minute and snatch it away.

"Mine!" she cried happily and began to play the game again, much to James's chagrin.

John chortled. "You're going to have to be quicker," he teased his old friend. "She's sneaky, like her mother."

"Like which parent?" Helen shot back with an arched brow.

"How did you do that?" the blonde version of Helen asked after seeing the stream of blue electricity that shot out of his fingertip into the device.

"I've developed a few new skills," the vampire bragged unabashedly to his awed hostess. Looking into her wide blue eyes, Nikolas was reminded of how much he had admired them when they were all younger. They held much more of a sweet innocence in their sapphire orbs than those of her older, more experienced counterpart.

"And here we go," John muttered with a roll of his eyes. He knew the little git wouldn't be able to resist showing off.

"I don't think bragging qualifies as a new skill," James observed smugly and was rewarded with a sharp zap as Tesla reached out and touched him with his long fingertip. Watson's body jerked sharply and he dropped to the ground. "Bloody hell!" he roared once the electric volt had passed through him and he struggled to sit upright.

"Nikola!" both Helens reprimanded at the same time and rushed to flank James on each side. "Are you alright?" they asked in unison as they helped his stand back up.

Impressed, Ashley squealed, "You both said the same thing at the same time!" To the blonde, she added, "You sounded just like mommy, Cousin Helen."

The blonde grinned back. "I did, didn't I?"

Ashley then pointed to James, who was still rubbing his shoulder and silently plotting Tesla's death, and shook her finger back and forth in reprimand. "Om, you said a bad word. You have to take a time out now," she told him, causing her father to throw his head back and bark a laugh.

When he made no movement to go to the nearest corner, the child's bottom lip protruded out in a pout. "He has to go to a time out," she insisted. "He said a bad word."

"He's an adult," Helen patiently tried to explain as she continued to glare at the smug vampire. "Sometimes adults say things they shouldn't but they don't have to go to a time out. They should say sorry though." She was looking straight at Tesla when she said that. He, on the other hand, looked down at his nails and rubbed them against his chest briefly as he ignored her suggestion.

"You made Will go to his office the other day," Ashley pointed out. "He stomped all the way and slammed the door too," she snitched.

"Will wasn't in a time out," her father corrected. "He was racing down the hall to hide from your mother who was in a foul mood due to the little mishap with the latest beastie."

Helen frowned at him. "I wasn't in a foul mood. Will lost a rare abnormal because he was too busy playing kissy face with Abby. He was supposed to be working, not out on a date. Who takes their date out to stalk an abnormal?"

"Uh, that would be us. "Remember the birds?" John reminded her with a grin. The dimple that lit up her face assured him that she did indeed remember the incident with the Phoenixes.

"What kind of game is kissy face?" Ashley asked with a crinkle of her little nose. "I haven't played that one yet."

"You will not be playing that game with anyone for a very, very long time, is that clear young lady?" John demanded firmly as he planted his hands onto his hips.

Crossing her arms in reply, Ashley complained, "How can I play kissy face if I don't even know what it is?"

"You make sure you keep it that way," her father ordered irrationally. Any worthless idiot that laid a finger on his daughter was going to soon find himself being tossed into the nearest active volcano with no parachute. He narrowed his eyes back at Helen when she shook her head at his over protectiveness. He went from one extreme with Ashley as an adult the first time to another with Ashley as a child in her second reincarnation. Her poor baby was going to have a rough time with her pit bull of a father when she reached puberty.

"Keep what what way?" the child asked in confusion. "You're not making any sense, daddy." Turning to her mother, Ashley asked, "Do you know how to play kissy face, mommy?"

Tesla snorted a laugh. "Well, Helen, what say you? Do you know how to play kissy face?" he repeated with a suggestive leer.

"Yes, she does," John interrupted, "and no, you'll never find out… not if you want to live longer." The two antagonists looked challengingly at one another. Helen rolled her eyes and turned her focus back on Watson, who was still obviously very pissed about the voltage.

"I don't hear anyone saying 'Sorry,'" the mouthy child declared and bit her bottom lip when her mother gave her "the look" that said "you'd better behave or else, young lady." "Well, I didn't," she muttered smartly.

"Nikola, say you're sorry," Helen ordered.

Tesla frowned. "What? He's the one who said the bad word," he reminded her.

"And you're the one who zapped him for no good reason," John reminded him, receiving a dirty look from the vampire.

"Oh, I had a good reason," Nikola grumbled and shot an angry look at Watson, who arched an eyebrow back at him in question.

"If this is about James booby trapping your gadget to turn you blue for a week, it's your own fault," Druitt declared with a smirk. "You knew he'd retaliate for your recording him getting peed on by that giant abnormal cat and then airing it across the Sanctuary Network feed for the rest of the staff to see."

Nikola shrugged nonchalantly. "It was totally worth it. The look on the great Sherlock's face when cat piddled on his head was priceless!"

"As was you going around looking like a blue smurf for a week," John retorted and looked at James with a grin. "Next time I'll get James to set it to detonate pink. I think Tesla would look sweet all in pink, don't you think, James?" he teased and was rewarded with a laugh from his best friend.

"Pink would be good," James agreed, "but green might be better. Then he would look like a troll with spiky hair." The two friends chortled at the thought.

Seeing Tesla about to come back with a snarky reply, Helen interceded. "Say you're sorry," she repeated as she crossed her arms in an authoritative manner. "You wouldn't want to set a bad example for your goddaughter, now would you?" Helen asked in an overly sweet tone.

Nikola frowned and looked past her to see Ashley leaning forward to stare at him from behind James. Darn. This whole godfather gig was harder than it was suppose to be. He waivered as to whether to blow Helen off then decided it wasn't worth it. He'd blown a large hole into the one of the walls of her lab when he was trying to calibrate one of his laser devices recently and figured they would call it even between them once she discovered the hole. "I'm sorry I _accidently_ zapped you with my magnificent power of conducting electricity," he half way sincerely apologized to James, who narrowed his eyes at the "accidently" part. To Helen, Nikola added, "And I'm sorry I questioned whether you knew how to play kissy face. I can personally say that you do it quite well," he smirked, deliberately toss that back into the conversation with the purpose of stirring up the child's curiosity once more. He had learned early on that his godchild was good for using as a distraction whenever he was in the doghouse with Helen.

Huffing out a loud breath, Ashley groused, "Everyone knows how to play kissy face but me!" and threw her hands out in annoyance, causing the iPhone to slip from her grip and crash to the ground. Leaning over to look down at the phone, she mumbled,"Oops," and looked up guiltily to find her father staring at her with a displeased look. She flashed him a toothy smile that she hoped would look sweet and innocent and proclaimed, "It was an accident."

"It always is," he grumbled. Giving a loud, put upon sigh, John leaned over to pick up his phone, halting momentarily as it began to play a familiar tune. A big feline grin spread across his broad face as he straightened up and looked at the phone in his hand. What were the odds?

The playful, ascending and descending notes of the song's harpsichord introduction soon picked up its quick pace. John looked across from him to find Tesla's face lit up into a mischievous grin and couldn't help but grin back. Both were thinking the same thing.

"What?" James asked, looking suspiciously between the two who disagreed far more on things than they ever agreed on.

"What do you think of this music," John asked the sleuth as he pushed the volume up to its highest setting and held the phone up in the air. However, he kept the display side towards him in order that the others wouldn't see what was playing.

"Why?" Watson inquired, glancing between the two other men and then at Helen who merely shook her head and rolled her eyes. They might be over 150 years old but they were still mischievous boys at heart. She gave John a "Really?" look and received a playful wink in reply.

"Just listen to it and tell me if you like the music. I'll tell you why afterwards," John assured, his smile spreading as he pictured telling Watson why the music was significant.

"I know what that music is," Ashley declared as she peeked out behind Watson's shoulder, "and I like it." She held her hand out towards her father. "I want the iPhone back, daddy."

"I want to show James a few things," he answered back and received a big pout in response. Cutting her off before she could have another temper tantrum, her father motioned down to the bulldog that was sitting by Watson's leg. "You should play with Winston before we go home. We'll be leaving soon."

Nikola turned and peered intently at the continuum device's frame from across the room. The power light on it was almost fully charged. "Yep, should be very soon now," he remarked in relief. Being trapped back in the proper late Victorian era was not his cup of tea. He was more of a modern technology wine drinker.

Blonde Helen gasped loudly without meaning to and her focus immediately landed on the child, who was demanding that her father lower her to the ground so that she could play with the dog again. The others sobered at her reaction and all grew silent as they watched the laughing child run around the room again being chased by the pudgy dog in its ridiculous pink tutu.

Finally, Nikola motioned to James with his head to prompt John. "Ask him," he encouraged with a wicked grin.

"Ask him what?" Helen said, eyeing the two men suspiciously.

"The music before," John smoothly answered, turning to face James. "Do you like it?" The song had already ended and another one, a bouncy Irish tune with quick firing lyrics, was playing now.

The music obviously had some significance judging by the way the Druitt and Tesla were preening. "It's enjoyable enough. It's quick, sharp noted, a little dark… and yet there seems to be some wit to it as well." He saw the three share a smile at his assessment and tilted his head at John in question.

"It is the theme song for this," John answered as he flipped the screen around and held it out before Watson's face. Narrowing his eyes for a better view of the screen, James stared at the image and upon reading the words his eyes grew large.

"What's wrong?" the younger version of Helen inquired, taking her eyes momentarily off the child as she raced by to look back Watson, whose sideburns were positively twitching with excitement.

"Sherlock Holmes?" James cried in delight as his eyes twinkled brightly. "The song is for the books?"

"No," John corrected, "the song is the signature piece for the films. Sherlock Holmes is experiencing quite a popular resurgence at the moment," he shared with a chuckle as he took in his best friend's exuberance. "You're still a hit with the public."

"You don't say," James preened as his fingers moved over the screen to flip to the next image. "I like this song too," he said of the Irish ditty.

"The _Rocky Road to Dublin_ is the last song played in the first Sherlock film," John said. "The first film was much better than the second one that just came out."

"I agree," Nikola added. "The second one was garbage. Too much going on and who's stupid idea was it to kill off Irene Adler anyway? She was the best thing about the movies."

"They killed off Irene?" James asked appalled. "She's not killed off in the books."

"The movies very loosely follow the books. According to the films you're a restless habitual drug user who can't keep a friend close to you because you're too annoying," Nikola summarized. "Oh, and you can't seem to keep the girl either."

"Ignore him," Helen told her old, outraged friend. "It's just a film about a fictional character."

"Fictional, right," Nikola snarked. "Like how vampires are suppose to be fictional. Oh, wait," he smirked, "there's me!"

"Sherlock Holmes is a _fictional_ character based upon elements of James," Helen retorted. "They are not exactly the same person."

Twisting her words back at her, Nikola reasoned, "So what you're saying is that Irene Adler is a _fictional_ character based upon elements of _you_."

"She had better not be," John growled as he placed his hands on his hips and gave James a scowl.

"I'm not," Helen refuted back. "And I don't know why you two are so fixated on a fictional character. Irene isn't real. What part of not real are you two geniuses not understanding?"

"There's often a bit of truth in fiction," Tesla proclaimed in a lofty, wise-ish tone, then smirked at Druitt. "Show him the hotel scene."

"What? No way," Helen cried. "James is a proper Victorian man. It is not appropriate." At James and younger Helen's looks of concern, Helen explained, "there's a scene in the film that takes place in the hotel. It's nothing."

"Sure, if you consider Irene drugging and then handcuffing a naked Sherlock to a bed nothing," Nikola tossed out nonchalantly. "Personally, I consider that quite interesting," he added as he flashed Helen a lopsided grin.

"What?" Watson and the blonde gasped in horror.

"It's just a movie," Helen hissed."It's nothing to be taken seriously."

"Some fiction," Nikola said holding up one hand, "and some truth" he said holding up the other hand and moving them up and down in opposite directions like the parts of a scale. "You seem to be taking this a little personally, Helen."

She glared back at the smug vampire. "I assure you if I wanted to get a man naked in bed I would not require drugs and a pair of handcuffs," she whispered loud enough so that only the adults could hear.

"Helen!" John rasped harshly, shocked that she would say such a thing with Ashley playing nearby.

Eyes bugged out, James gasped, "Madam, please!" and the blonde, equally appalled, cried, "I cannot believe you just said that. That _I_ just said that," she corrected.

"Oh, please, I've said worse," Helen returned and pointed at the two. "As have you both."

The four turned to glower at the vampire who had burst out laughing at the terse exchange. "This is hilarious," he chuckled. "We should take this show on the road. You could do a two woman stand up routine of yourself."

Any sniping Helen was about to make was cut short when Ashley came crashing into John's waist, causing him to go "oomph!" and throw his arms around her as his feet spread to stabilize them from falling over. Looking down, he beheld his daughter's very flushed face looking up at him tiredly.

"I'm tired, daddy," she whined. "My feet hurt. Carry me?"

"It's no wonder, as much as you've been racing around," he answered and picked her up. "You're getting awfully heavy to carry around anymore though," he noted as she laid her head against his chest and gave her mother a sleepy smile.

"Am not," she contradicted. "I'm still small enough to be carried around. But I'm a big girl too."

"Of course you are," her mother agreed and reached over to stroke her daughter's golden head.

"Is it time to go home yet?" the child asked. "I miss Henry and the Big Guy."

Straightening to his full height, Nikola looked over at the continuum device and announced loudly, "As a matter of fact it is. Time to head home, kiddos. Last one out closes the gate."

"It's time already?" the younger counterpart of Helen cried as she zeroed in on the child curled up in John's arms. Her baby was going to leave her for a very long time and there was nothing she could do about it.

"I'm afraid so," Helen gently replied and felt her heart clench tight as she saw her younger self's eyes start to tear up. They had been here too long and the younger woman had grown attached to Ashley. Parting would be painful, but it needed to be done. It was time for them to go home.


	12. There and Back Again Part 1

Five Hours in Ye Old London

Chapter 12: There and Back Again Part 1

Nikola looked around as he rubbed his hands together and faced James and the younger Helen. "Well, I hate long goodbyes… which in our case is completely redundant anyway since we're all still together on the other side… so I will just say to you to have fun, play well with one another and don't bite."

Behind him he heard the older version of Helen give an incredulous laugh. "Rules I learned from Kindergarten?" she asked as she gave him a look of surprise. He did amaze her at times with the things he came up with out of the blue.

"Seems apropos given how young they are right now. I would advise her not to run with scissors but given your penchant for weaponry it would be pointless now, wouldn't it?" he said to the brunette and grinned at her. Turning back to the younger pair, he nodded at the man and said "James" as way of parting and stepped up to the blonde. "My dearest Helen," he murmured and then, before anyone could stop him, swept her into his arms and leaned her over as he planted a deep kiss onto her astonished lips.

"Tesla!" a loud raspy voice growled from behind him.

Beside him, James sniffed angrily, "Tesla, what do you think you're doing?"

"Whoa, Uncle Nikola's kissing cousin Helen just like you kiss mommy, daddy," Ashley giggled from her father's arms, causing him to growl, "Dismemberment, Tesla… slowly and painfully."

"Really, Nikola!" the older version of Helen cried as he continued to kiss his unprepared victim and whacked him upside the head, thus causing him to break the kiss with her sweeter version. Her outrage at his planting a kiss on her younger self was contradicted by the half smile that tugged at the corner of her lips. He was persistent, she'd give him that.

Grinning impishly at her, he innocently claimed "I was just bidding young Miss Magnus goodbye. No need to get violent, Helen. You really need to do something about that temper of yours." He released the blonde from his arms, bowed ceremoniously to her as he said "Helen" and then cheekily winked at her before strolling away towards the continuum device.

Tesla's strutting away like a peacock further annoyed the other two men. "I'll show you temper, you little…" John muttered as he took a step toward the vampire only to be blocked by Helen. "Language," she reminded him.

"You just said you hate long goodbyes," James stiffly reminded his former classmate with a scowl. He briefly thought of punching Tesla in the face but held his temper in check in deference to the stunned blonde standing beside him who couldn't think of how to respond other than "I…" and press her hands to her chest.

"Goodbyes, yes," the smug vampire tossed over his shoulder. "Kissing beautiful women I never tire of." He didn't have to turn around to know that Watson and Druitt were exchanging dark looks and wishing to throttle him but with Helen in the room it was nothing but wishful thinking. She'd never allow that to happen, no matter how much she might protest otherwise. She was fond of him and he knew it. She had all but admitted it with her concern for his safety when he was completing his task in the electrified tunnel at Bhalasaam. "Let's not dawdle, children. The clock's ticking," he ordered as he stepped through the shimmering circle to return to home. "Tick tock," were the last words he uttered before disappearing from view.

The four remaining adults looked at one another and shook their heads. "He's as incorrigible as ever," Helen stated and stepped up to take one of James' hands into hers. "Thank you so much for everything, James," she gratefully said as she leaned in to give him a gentle kiss on the cheek. "You're a wonderful friend."

Giving her hand a squeeze, James softly kissed her back on her cheek. "For you, anything. Always."

They exchanged smiles and she then turned to her younger counterpart. With a sad smile, she offered words of encouragement to the stricken woman standing before her. "I won't lie to you that there will be many trying times ahead of you… but there will also be times of great joy. It will be worth it. _She_ will be worth it." Helen stepped away as John lowered the "she" in question down to the ground and instructed her to quickly say goodbye to their new friends.

"Goodbye," Ashley bid the sleuth as she hugged his knees and received a soft pat on the head as he returned with "Goodbye, little one. I have most enjoyed meeting you." Releasing him, the child turned to the blonde and gave her hug as well. "Goodbye, Cousin Helen," she smiled up to the elegant lady. "Thank you for playing dress up and tea party with me."

"You are most welcome," the blonde answered in a choked up voice as a tear made its way down her cheek. A second later she dropped to her knees and flung her arms tightly around Ashley. "My sweet baby," she whispered as more tears fell onto her porcelain cheeks.

"I'm sorry but we need to go now," the brunette interrupted and extricated the confused child from the distraught woman's embrace. Bending down to her, John grasped one of her hands and bowed his head over it. "Goodbye, my beloved Helen," he quietly whispered so that only she could hear him. "I will take good care of my family, I promise you. You make sure to follow your instincts. You'll know when it is time to have our child and when it is time to forgive me." As he was said these words he pressed the small item from his hand into the palm of her hand and gave the top of that same hand a light kiss before quickly standing upright again.

She blinked up at him, unsure of what to do but somehow knowing that the object he'd given her was to remain private between them. Pressing her hand against her stomach, she slowly regained her upright stance and slid her palm over to the side where she could pocket the item unseen by the others.

John, meanwhile, clapped James on the shoulder. "See you in a minute, mate. We have a vampire to plot our next move against," he confided and grinned as Watson snorted a laugh. "Make sure it's green," James grinned. "Most definitely," John agreed.

Striding quickly towards the portal, the older version of Helen yelled "John!" and an instant later he was by her side. Both parents took one of their daughter's hands as they moved forward with Ashley protectively sandwiched between them.

"I'm hungry, mommy," Ashley declared. "I want a pizza."

"Hungry again? You're stomach is a bottomless pit," her mother teased.

"And I want chocolate milk!" the child continued as they stepped through the shimmering circle.

"Of course you do," John's faint chuckle could be heard as the trio vanished from view.

A moment later Winston came skidding back through the circle and John could be heard faintly calling, "No hitchhikers allowed!" followed by an even fainter cry of "But daddy!" by Ashley. The shimmering circle then began to flicker in and out before finally disappearing.

Silence ensued as the two remaining adults continued to stare at the spot. James wrapped his arm around his silently crying partner and pulled her tight to him. The darker Helen had been worried about him being tormented by knowing technology he would not have access to for a long time but it was going to be blonde Helen that would be tormented with the memories of her child for a century until she could finally carry Ashley to term. Winston came waddling up to sit next to his owner and gave him a mournful look. He was going to miss the loud little human that played with him. After a bit, James sighed. "I better get rid of the evidence," he said, remembering to fulfill his promise to the older Helen to destroy any evidence of their visit. To the depressed woman in his arms, he assured her that he could complete the task on his own and wasn't surprised when she just nodded her agreement and left the room with slumped shoulders.

"Oh, Helen," James muttered mournfully to himself after the heartbroken lady was gone and set about dismantling the continuum device, which was now empty of its liquid, and the device's support. He pitched the support parts into the furnace but not the glass container of the device, which he suspected would explode if heated. This part he would smash into pieces before pitching into the bottom of the sea. Giving one final sweep with his eagle-sharp eyes around the room to make sure everything was back to normal Watson's eyes landed upon the pudgy bulldog still wearing the pink tutu and colored ribbons around his collar. "Those definitely have to go," he groaned with a shake of his head and reached down to pull them off. Winston had other ideas, skipping to the side to dodge his owner's hand. "Winston," James sternly reprimanded and stepped closer to grab the dog, which jumped away again and turned back to his human with tail wagging. This was fun. "You cannot actually like wearing that frill," James grumbled and went after his dog. As he gave chase to the excited dog around the wide open space John's words of "Yeah, that dog will probably never be quite right in the head again by the time we leave" came back to haunt him. Druitt might have been correct. Winston might have become fond of cross dressing now. Drat James thought as he finally caught the panting pudge of a dog and wrestled with him to remove the clothing. The fabrics were modern and had to be destroyed before someone else noticed them.

Upstairs, Helen had closed herself off into her bedroom and was curled up on her bed. Her sobbing had run its course and she finally forced herself to get up and wash her hot, tear stained face in the wash basin. As she dried her reddened face gently with a towel she stopped to stare at her reflection. The blonde haired, blue eyed woman staring back at her was so different from the dark haired, blue eyed woman who had left with her child. The other was older, more cynical and frankly bossier than her. She was also a mother and had the companionship of the man both loved.

The thought of John reminded her of the object he had secretly pressed into her hand. Her hand slipped into her pocket to retrieve the item and moving closer to the window she finally looked upon it. In the fading late afternoon light Helen's eyes widened as she took in the small photograph. She had never seen such a smooth textured, colored image like the one she held. The image was of herself with her arms around a small child, both laughing, and before them was a cake with two candles burning on it. Balloons could be seen behind the pair. It must have been taken at Ashley's second birthday celebration she thought. Flipping the image over, she found the words "My girls" scrawled across the back in ink in John fluid handwriting. Helen's heart caught in her throat. This was the family she had dreamed about for so long. Flipping the image back around, Helen sat down in the cushioned wing chair by the window and memorized every detail in the photo. As her finger traced around Ashley's face a little smile graced Helen's face. Everything was going to be okay in the end. She would eventually have her precious baby and John would eventually be cured of his madness. Hope flickered deep inside her. Everything would be okay. She just would have to be patient and wait for the right time. And she would.


	13. There and Back Again Part 2

Five Hours in Ye Old London

Chapter 13: There and Back Again Part 2

Meanwhile, in another time and place, the weary travelers found themselves entering the open atrium area of the Sanctuary's basement. They were finally home. Tesla, who had arrived first, threw out his arms and happily declared "Civilization. Thank God!" to an amused Watson and Henry who were seated nearby.

"Where are Helen and John?" James inquired as he stood up and stretched. It had been a long three days of worrying and waiting for the rescue of Helen from the past.

"They're coming," Nikola assured, "they're just saying their goodbyes."

Henry frowned as he stood too. "And Ashley? Where is she?" he asked worriedly. After no one could locate the child he had gone through all the security footage and discovered her following the vampire into the time portal. It had been too late to go after her since the portal had shut immediately after she had gone through.

"Don't get your canine knickers in a twist," Nikola quipped. "She's with her parents." To James, he smugly added, "_My_ goddaughter was quite a hit with those on the other side. Younger Helen was quite impressed with my godfathering skills."

James gave him a knowing look. "I think the word you're looking for is Helen's _disbelief_ at the idea of you being anyone's godfather."

"Oh, don't be jealous, Jimmy. Green doesn't become you. You had your shot at being godfather supreme. I can't help it if I'm naturally amazing," the wisecracking vamp shared as he headed across the room towards the elevator. He was thirsty for some decent wine and ready for the Wookie's excellent Hungarian cabbage rolls. Not that he'd admit that to anyone, especially the walking carpet. He heard the others arriving behind him and lingered long enough to make sure they were okay before continuing on his way.

The dog had arrived right after Tesla, having followed Nikola through the portal, and had gone straight to his owner happily wagging his tail back and forth in recognition. An appalled Watson had just uttered the words "what the hell are you wearing?" as he leaned down to greet his old friend when the others appeared.

"Winston," Ashley cried as she pulled her hands free from her parents' grasp to kneel down and hug the bulldog. She shrieked in protest as her father quickly grabbed the dog and shoved it hard back through the fading time portal yelling "No hitchhikers allowed!" after which Ashley had cried angrily, "But daddy!"

"Nice outfit," Watson teased Helen and was answered back with "You should have seen yours." He gave Helen a hard once over, noting her haggard look and the fading bruising around her face. She gave him a tired smile and surprised him by kissing him on the cheek. "You are a true friend," she whispered in gratefulness to all the help he had given her on both sides of the time portal.

"Always," he whispered back. He knew she was referring to both versions of him.

John, having disposed of the unwanted dog, found himself facing an upset mini-Helen. "Why did you do that?" Ashley demanded with her hands angrily poised on her little hips in a perfect imitation of her mother. "I wanted Winston!"

"He did not belong here," her father responded and quickly moved towards her mother in the hopes of distracting the child. His daughter could throw one heck of a temper tantrum when she wanted to. "How are you feeling?" he asked Helen, ignoring the stomping footsteps that trailed after him.

"Exhausted and in need of a good change of clothing," Helen admitted with a tired sigh. "A nice bubble bath and a long nap and I'll be good as new," she confidently stated. "Can you take care of Ashley's dinner?"

"First things first," John answered, pulling out the metallic objects from his coat pocket. Helen's breath caught as she remembered the radiation poisoning and she grabbed the items from his hand. Druitt quickly shed his coat, tossing it on a nearby table, and spun around to grab a hold of his daughter before she could take off. He sat her down on the table, amused at the sulky pout on her face, and positioned himself before her to block any possible exit. Helen moved beside him and laid down the items onto the table.

Grabbing one, Ashley held it up and shook it. She was ever hopeful that candy would fall out. Using her distraction, Helen picked another one up, pointed the end at the side of her daughter's throat and quickly pushed the vaccination in. Ashley's eyes widened and her little mouth briefly formed an O shape before she cried "OW!" loud enough to pierce her parent's ear drums. Helen twisted her hand to hide the item as Ashley turned to give her a death glare. "That hurt, mommy!" she growled and kicked her feet forward, just missing her father as he moved out of the way. "Stop doing that!"

Breathing out a sigh of relief, Helen responded with, "I'm sorry, darling. It won't happen again." The child's dark look and sulky, protruding bottom lip caused her to unintentionally smile. "Are you still hungry?" she asked. "I bet my old friend has prepared something really yummy for your dinner."

Perking up, Ashley squealed,"Pizza! I want pizza!"

"I'm sure he'll give you anything you want. He always does," her father commented as he picked up one of the vaccinations and poked himself in the side of his throat. Thank goodness this was all over. He really hated needles.

Helen helped her excited daughter down. "Your father can take you up to the kitchen for dinner. I'm going to take a bath," she informed the child as she reached for her own vaccination and stuck herself.

"Come on, daddy," the child ordered and grabbed a hold of one of his large hands to yank him forward.

"Join us," John requested of his best friend. "Have we got a lot to tell you," he teased.

Grinning, James followed them. "I can't wait."

"Hold on," Helen called after them and held up one of the two remaining vaccinations when they halted to look back at her. "Nikola forgot to take his."

The two men exchanged glances and smirked. Rolling her eyes, Helen continued, "Don't be petty. He helped get us home." John frowned, knowing she was right, and retrieved the object from her. As they exited the room John could be heard telling the other man in Latin, "We have a vampire to plot against. How do you feel about the color green?" and Watson snorting a reply of "What's he done now?"

Shaking her head, Helen stored the final vaccination into a drawer in her laboratory and then strolled towards the elevator herself. Almost two centuries later and she was still surrounded by juvenile boys. And what would she ever do without her boys she thought to herself with a smile.

Forty-five minutes later she was fully relaxed in a hot bubble bath with closed eyes and her head resting on a cushioned pillow. She had almost fallen asleep when she felt the water glide unexpectedly over her skin. One eye opened and then the other immediately followed due to the shocking sight before her. A very pale white bottom was lowering itself into her bath.

"Ashley!" Helen reprimanded as her daughter joined her. "What do you think you're doing, young lady?"

"I'm taking a bath with you," the child replied as she turned to face her mother.

"I wanted to bath alone," her mother answered in annoyance at having her meditative soak disturbed.

"It's more fun to bath with me," Ashley smartly replied as she waded across the waist high water to hit the button to activate the tub's jets. Grinning, she dumped more bubble bath into the tub before her mother could stop her and plopped down hard into the water, causing some to fly over the side of the extra large, extra long tub. Helen glared at the child, who had sunk down to her chin in the water, and sighed loudly. Her rambunctious daughter was a handful. She then laughed as Ashley said "I'm coming to get you, mommy" and glided from side to side like a crocodile as she made her way up her mother's body. "Got you!" the child giggled as she threw her arms around Helen's neck.

"You're a very naughty child," Helen chided in good humor as she hugged her brat to herself. "Whatever am I going to do with you, hmm?"

"Scrub my back," Ashley demanded as she turned in her mother's lap. "I'm itchy."

Observing the macaroni stuck to the back of her daughter's neck, Helen laughed again. "It's no wonder. How in the world did you get macaroni and cheese down the back of your dress? I thought you wanted pizza."

"The Big Guy said we were out of pizza and made me mac-n-cheese instead. He's going to make me pizza tomorrow," she answered and reached over to grab an empty cup to play in the water with. She was seated on her mother's lap and leaned forward as her back was being scrubbed clean with a wash cloth.

Dipping the cloth back in the water, Helen began to earnestly scrub her child down and convinced her to allow her hair to be washed again. How Ashley managed to get as dirty as often as she did always amazed her mother.

She had just finished rinsing Ashley's hair when a deep voice stated, "Well, if I'd known we were having family bath time I would have skipped dinner." Both looked up to find John leaning against the door frame and smiling at them.

"You can still join us," Ashley suggested as she waddled to the side of the tub and leaned over to grin at him.

He looked over at her mother, who gave him a "don't even think about it" look and grinned devilishly as he walked up and sat on the tub's edge and dipped his hand into the water near where her knee was peeking up in the water. Her wet hair was piled up high on top of her head and the upper half of her bare chest was visible above the water. It was quite an enticing view.

"There's not enough room," she warned, pointing a finger at him. "Besides, we're done."

"No we're not," Ashley contradicted. "I want to swim in the water." She sunk down quickly into the water, splashing both of her parents with water. "Ashley," both groaned in unison and swiped at the water on their faces. They watched as she popped up here and there in the tub as she swam around.

"Will you get her a change of clothing while I wrestle her out of the water?" Helen asked as she fished with her hands for Ashley under the water. He stood, grabbing a hand towel to dab at his wet face and shirt and left the room. By the time he returned, they were in the dressing area of their bedroom. Helen was wrapped in a robe, seated on her makeup stool and blow drying their daughter's hair.

Seeing the clothing in her father's hand, Ashley dropped the towel she had wrapped around her and proclaimed unabashedly, "I'm nekkie, daddy!" with a big giggle.

"I can see that, you naughty child," he retorted with a soft laugh and tapped her little button nose. Bending down, he helped her into her underwear and pajamas as Helen turned the dryer on her own hair. Afterwards, he went into the back part of the bathroom to shower himself. Under the hot streaming water, John felt the aches and bruises from the last three days and tiredly rested his head against the frosted glass wall as the jets beat against his body. It had been a very long three days and the horrifying scenes of Adam holding the younger Helen in a death grip and Ashley arriving unexpectedly in old London flashed through his numbing brain. So much could have gone badly wrong if the wrong choices had been made. He sent a silent prayer to God for delivering his family to safety.

In the outer room, Helen put away the dryer and wandered back into the bathroom to pick up the discarded clothes on the floor. Her eyes briefly flickered over to where John was showering. If he hadn't shown up when he did Adam might have succeeded in killing her younger counterpart before either she or James would have been able to stop him. John was nothing if not good in a fight.

Glancing down at the Victorian dress Ashley had worn, Helen reflected on the day's events. Ashley's arrival at the old London Sanctuary had deeply affected them all. The stricken look on her younger self's face when Ashley was departing would scar her for life. It was a vivid reminder of all the pain and loneliness she had endured waiting for the right time to have her baby. She clutched the dress to her chest as a soft sob escaped her lips. Biting her lip, she willed herself to stop before she ended up collapsing uncontrollably in tears. Sniffing, she reminded herself that she needed to pull herself together and tuck her daughter into bed. Ashley was waiting for her.

Tossing the clothes into the laundry basket, Helen stiffened her spine and set off to go to Ashley's bedroom only to come to a dead halt by her bed. Ashley, who was supposed to be waiting for her mother in her own bedroom, was tucked under the covers in the center of her parent's bed and gave her mother a drowsy yawn.

Sitting down on the bed, Helen shook her head at the child. "You are supposed to be in your own bed," she chided as she lovingly stroked Ashley's face. "Remember, we talked about you being a big girl and sleeping in your own bed?" she prompted.

Sleepily, Ashley flashed a dimpled smile and then murmured, "Why did Cousin Helen call me her sweet baby?"

Unprepared for the question, Helen blinked several times in surprise as she tried to think of a proper response. "You remind her of her daughter," Helen finally answered with a sniff as her eyes started to water again.

"Her sweet baby?" Ashley repeated with another yawn as her eyes fluttered shut and her breathing deepened.

Leaning down, Helen pressed her lips against the child's temple and closed her eyes as a single tear made its way down her cheek. "My sweet baby," she murmured as she listened to the rise and fall of her child's breathing. Exhaustion slamming back into her, she sat upright to remove her robe. Sliding into bed, she gathered the sleeping girl into her arms and pulled the covers up over them.

Minutes later, John found himself standing mesmerized by the bed. He had been on his way to tuck his daughter into bed only to find her asleep in her mother's arms in their bed. Wrapping his large hands around one of the bed's four posts, he leaned his weary head against the cool wood and silently stared at his girls. Everything that truly mattered to him was on that bed. Soon, his eyes tried to flutter shut and he heard antique grandfather clock two doors down chime two a.m. Yawning John pushed away from the post, flicked off the lamp on Helen's side of the bed and leaned down to kiss her on the cheek. He then made his way to his side of the bed, climbed in, and leaned over to kiss his precious daughter. His last thought as he sunk into deep sleep was of him promising the younger Helen that he would take good care of his family.

Author's note: One more chapter to go to wrap up this little story. Writing Ashley as a child has been a lot of fun.


	14. Vignettes from the Zoo Part I

Author's Note: I was going to end the story here but a few folks asked for more chapters so I'll see what I can come up with.

Five Hours in Ye Old London

Chapter 14: Vignettes from the Zoo Part I

"Come on!" Ashley cried as she tried to drag her reluctant mother towards the doorway from the sitting room. "We're going to miss all the animals if we don't get going!"

"There's plenty of time to see the animals," her mother insisted, digging her heels into the ground to prevent them from going further. "They aren't going anywhere. Before we head out we need to go over the ground rules."

Ashley gave out a loud groan, as did the others behind them. "We already did that," the girl whined. "I want to go now, mommy!"

"In a minute," Helen firmly stated and sat back down onto the couch. She silently scanned her daughter's appearance once more and was pleased at what she saw. The girl was dressed in a long, knee length white tunic with delicate orange, embroidered flowers and green vine details and underneath was orange pants with the flowers and vines reversed in white. The outfit had been sent from India as a gift from Ravi's wife and Helen had selected it specifically because of its bright colors. It would make it easier to spot Ashley in the night setting of the Zoo in those areas where the lighting was lower. Kate had fishtail braided the child's hair into to two ponytails that ended with matching green and orange ribbons. Helen would never boast it aloud but she and John certainly made a beautiful child together and she couldn't wait to see what the next one would look like.

Taking pity on his eager daughter, as well as everyone else in the room, John interceded. "Helen, we have already been briefed. Ashley has been told to stay with us the entire time and we all have our assignments regarding what activity we are to participate in with her. She has already memorized her safety words in case someone tries to approach her pretending to be one of us," he tried to reassure his worried lover. "I know you want to be cautious but everything will be fine, really. We will all keep an eye on her. Tonight she just needs to be a little girl and enjoy her upcoming birthday."

Helen sighed, knowing he was right but worrying nevertheless. Every since Ashley had been reborn Helen had begun having anxiety attacks, something she had never experience before, whenever they took the child outside Sanctuary grounds.

Deciding to take control, James stood up and held out his hand to his date to signify they were leaving. "Of course everything will be fine," he deeply intoned as he gave the child a smile. "We're going to have a fun evening together and your mother is going to lighten up and try not to be an old fuddy duddy tonight."

"What's a fuddy duddy?" Ashley asked as she scuffed the floor with her slippers. She had all this pent up energy that needed unleashing and if they didn't leave soon she was going to start screaming or jumping up and down on the couch. There were animals waiting to be petted and a horse to be ridden.

"At this moment? Your mother," James retorted, smirking at his frowning colleague.

"I am not," Helen shot back, "and who are you calling old? We're the same age."

"Yes, but I'm young at heart," James wisecracked back. "You're beginning to sound… how shall I put it? Matronly?" he teased, grinning wider as she suddenly stood and glared at him. Helen was very sexy when her sapphire eyes were flashing angrily.

"Matronly?" she repeated as her eyes narrowed. "Really? You think I look matronly?" She was dressed in an ankle length, form hugging red Chinese gown with high slits up on either side. Black strappy heels with a small red flower and a black shawl with red border completed the look. Her hair was perfectly curled and pulled over to the side. She was impeccably dressed to impress and she sure as hell wasn't dressed matronly.

"There is absolutely nothing matronly about that dress," Nikola drawled as he openly looked her up and down, earning him a glare back from the always possessive Druitt. "If that's matronly I think all women should suffer from such a condition."

James snorted. "Temper, my good doctor. I would never accuse you of looking matronly. I said you were beginning to _sound_ matronly. Now, before you haul off and belt me with something in a fit of temper, how about we head out for the vehicles and begin our evening of fun and frolic?"

"Yes," John said, standing up as well. "We're all dressed in our finest, so why are we wasting time here when we could be out making a splash on the town?"

"Dinner would be great," Henry said as he pulled at his collar, "but I still don't get why we have to wear the monkey suits. We're going to the zoo!"

Nikola snickered. "Aw, is poor Wolfie uncomfortable in formal attire? Perhaps something more fuzzy would suit your taste? I know, we can get you a panda bear suit and you can roam around entertaining the kids and taking pictures with them."

"Only if you wear an accompanying bat suit," Henry tossed back. "With your hair already spiked up like that you'll look perfectly natural if we hang you up upside down."

"A bat piñata," John drawled. "That's not a bad idea. We can stuff candy in the outfit and charge a dollar for a swing at the puffed up bat." He flashed Nikola a grin. "It is a charity event after all."

Rolling her eyes, Kate stood up. "As entertaining as the idea of you two dressed up in animal costumes being whacked by small children in a fit of sugary frenzy is, I am dressed to the nines in a slinky black dress and looking hot. We're wasting time standing around here exchanging barbs when we could be at a swanky party with flowing champagne and hopefully single, rich men."

"A girl's got to have her priorities," Watson's date agreed and winked at him.

Leaning close, he asked in an amused tone, "And what exactly are your priorities, hmm?"

"Zoo! Now!" Ashley cried, stomping her feet impatiently on the wooden floor. "I'm going to start screaming if I don't get to pet an animal soon!" The angry scowl on her little face reminded the adults in the room of the true purpose of tonight's activities. They were going to the zoo in early celebration of the child's upcoming seventh birthday.

"To the zoo," Helen agreed, quickly walking past her glowering daughter to the door. Ashley, realizing the adults were starting to leave without her, squealed, "Wait for me!" and ran to catch up with her parents.

At six in the evening, the sky was still bright blue and light when they arrived at the Old City Zoo. The exclusive charity event was limited to 100 people thus assuring that the attendees would have one-on-one opportunities with the animals at designated interaction spots. Thematic food stations were strategically placed throughout for attendees to sample as they wandered from one tier of the zoo, which was located partly on a hillside, up onto the next. Six-seater golf carts offered taxi service between activity areas to those attendees whose feet grew weary or were too lazy to walk.

The wide-eyed look of awe on the child's face as she looked around pushed away any residual anxiety Helen had about bringing her out into the open. John had been right in his earlier assessment that Ashley needed to be allowed to just be a child tonight and play. "Well, where shall we start?" she said as they stared at the maps they'd been given upon entry.

"Giraffes!" Ashley excitedly said as she stared at the map pinned low on a nearby board. "No, horses. No, kangaroos! No, wait, sea otters!" The adults laughed at the child's enthusiasm.

"Champagne," Nikola announced, strolling towards the first food station offering chocolate dipped fruit and glasses of champagne and wine.

"There aren't any animals in champagne," Ashley whined as she followed the adults to the serving station. "I want to feed a giraffe, now!"

Giving her daughter "the look" that told her to behave, Helen instructed, "The food stations are set near each animal station. We're supposed to eat and drink something each time we visit an animal." She picked up a small glass plate and began to put a few pieces of fruit onto it. "Eat first, then visit the animal," she commanded as she accepted the glass of champagne John offered her.

"Fine," Ashley grumbled as she stomped up to the refreshment table and reached for four chocolate strawberries which she crammed into her mouth. "There," she mumbled, "can we go now?"

Nikola choked on his champagne at the hilarious sight of his goddaughter with her cheeks stuffed with strawberries like a chipmunk hoarding nuts. The other adults burst out laughing except her mother who was not amused at the fruit sticking out of Ashley's mouth as she tried to talk.

"You're going to eat all of that properly," Helen reprimanded, "before we go see the giraffes."

"Aw," Ashley grumbled as she tried to chew the large berries in her mouth. When red juice started running down her mouth, John quickly handed her a napkin and put an empty plate near her mouth, allowing her to spit out the rest before she choked. Seeing the horrified look on her mother's face, Ashley quietly swiped her mouth and reached for another piece of fruit, this time eating it properly. "Yummy," she complimented in the hopes of getting her mother back into a better mood.

Sighing, Helen finished off the fruit on her plate and placed the empty plate and her half full glass of champagne on a nearby cleaning station. "Which way to the giraffes?" she asked, not at all surprised when Ashley piped up, "this way!" and started skipping forward.

Five minutes later they were standing on one of several wooden platforms that made up a tree house tucked away in a dense section of tall trees. It turned out that each golden ticket covered all eight people at a table, which made sense since each table involved a $10,000 donation to the zoo's educational programming series. Their attendant had handed them branches of acacia and wild apricot to attract the attention of the giraffes below and all were waving them at the majestic creatures. Looking around, Helen estimated there were at least five other families on different platforms doing the same thing and had to smile at the enthusiastic tones of the children as they tried to lure a giraffe over. They were the only family with just one child but that would change soon enough. In another five months Helen Magnus would be a mother of two.

Their attendant had suggested that Ashley wave her twigs more slowly so as not to frighten the animals and, upon following her instruction, the child was thrilled when two of the creatures wobbled over. "They're coming!" she squealed in a loud whisper, suddenly jumping back into her father as a head popped through the branches right in front of her. John's hand went to steady her as he grinned at the spotted head peering at them with great interest.

"It looks like Penny wants to taste your offering," the female attendant encouraged the child. "Go on, offer her a branch. She's very sweet. She's the youngest of our newborn giraffes."

Holding up the branch, Ashley was suddenly pulled forward as Penny tugged the leaves off the branch. "Whoa!" she cried out as she held onto the branch. Alarmed that she might be pulled over the wooden railing, John's arm shot around her waist from behind while Helen's arm moved across Ashley's front. As Penny's head moved up the branch they were able to stroke the soft head.

"It's so soft," Kate said in awe as she stroke the head of Penny's mother, who was feeding off the branches she, Henry, James and his date were offering. All were grinning and digging their heels into the platform as the adult giraffe tugged on their branches.

"Penny's got half of a moustache," Ashley pointed out as she touched the horizontal white marking on the creature's muzzle.

"Maybe Penny's a Paul," Nikola retorted, then squeaked and jumped back as Penny's black tongue shot out grab the forgotten branch in his left hand.

"Ewww," Ashley giggled as she touched the tongue as it retracted. "She's got such a long, black tongue!"

"Ewww is an understatement," Nikola griped in disgust as he scooted back further. "That is disgusting."

"Oh stop being such a girly man," James called out, causing the others to snicker. "It's an herbivore, Vlad."

"Yeah, well I'm not," Nikola retorted, causing the attendant to gasp and stare at him in surprise.

"Ignore him," John assured the girl, "We do." He picked up two more branches from the stack behind him and held them out to Ashley and her mother, whose branches had been picked clean already.

"Smile for the camera," Henry called out as he took pictures of the group. His timing couldn't have been more perfect for at that moment Penny's black tongue reached for the branch by Ashley's face and slid across her cheek as it pulled back the leaves. Eyes wide, Ashley squealed "Eww! She kissed me!" just as Henry took the shot.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Nikola griped and quickly walked down the stairs off the platform. He needed a drink, maybe two, to repress the sight of that black tongue wiggling around.

"Well her mother's getting a little too friendly," James commented as he tried to push back the large head that had pinned him against a tree trunk while she worked on striping the branch in his grasp. His hand pressed down on his tie as she tried to yank that forward too. "Hey, that's not a pin on," he said and push her head away once more.

His date giggled and straightened his tie. "I would hope not. I would never date a man who wears a pin on tie," she teased. "I prefer the real thing."

"Indeed?" he murmured, going in for a kiss only to be interrupted when Penny's head swung their way and her black tongue slid across his forehead. "Well, that's attractive," he dryly remarked as the others laughed at him. "Anyone got a wet wipe?"

"Penny gave you a kiss too," Ashley proclaimed with a big grin. "She really is friendly."

"Let's hope the rest of the animals won't be as friendly tonight," James muttered as he wiped his forehead with his handkerchief. He drew the line at wildlife with wandering tongues.

Their next stop was the pot sticker feeding station before heading over to the sea lion and otter show. Helen and John looked on proudly as their daughter was selected for a skit with an adorable otter that ended with the two jumping back and forth in a little dance.

"So, this is what it's like to be a normal family on an outing at the zoo," John happily whispered in his lover's ear.

"Wonderful, isn't it?" she murmured back and gave his knee an intimate squeeze.

Ashley's request for an otter following her skit was met with a resounding "No!" from her parents. "Aw," the child whined, "You never give me what I want."

"The children's petting zoo is up next," Helena teased, quickly cutting off her daughter's complaint. "Want to pet a turtle or ferret?"

"Oh boy!" Ashley squealed, grabbing her mother's hand to tug her upright. "Let's go."

The next half hour was whiled away in the petting zoo. Dr. Ellen Hopkins, a friend of Helen's, spoke to the group about the animals being presented while three attendants walked around making sure all the curious children and their parents had opportunities to meet and greet each of the creatures. The highlight of the event occurred when one of the small brown mice, which had crawled up Henry's shoulder, made a break for it by crawling down into the back of Henry's shirt.

While a giggling Kate and a female attendant tried to get Henry's jacket off and his shirt pulled out of his pants to the retrieve the mouse, the freaked out man was yelping "Get it out! Get it out!" and squirming around madly.

"Now this is entertainment," Nikola cracked.

When Henry froze suddenly and croaked "It just went down my pants!" howls of laughter erupted in the room. "Get it out! Get it out!" he chanted again as he twisted his hips around trying to dislodge the rodent in his trousers. Kate doubled over in laughter, giving up any pretense of trying to help.

"Someone should be filming this!" Nikola snorted between laughs. "This is pure comedy gold."

"Oh, I am," Helen laughed as she tried to hold her iPhone steady. "This one's going on our Christmas reel."

Later, a frazzled and disheveled looking Henry rejoined the group at the next food station. They were seated at a round table furthest from the crowd and enjoying heavy hors d'oeuvre. "You were funny, Henry!" Ashley giggled as he sat down next to her. "I don't think poor Teddy liked being in your clothes. He was dizzy when he fell out of your pants onto the floor."

"I wasn't too crazy about him being in my pants either," Henry grumbled, glaring at the snickering vampire seated across from him. The appealing smell of the food caught his attention and he wandered off to the food station to fill his plate. Back at the table, he was half way finished with his food when he noticed the pocket of Ashley's tunic move. Leaning closer to inspect it, he jumped when it moved again. "What's in your pocket?" he cried out in alarm.

"Nothing!" Ashley quickly answered, pulling her napkin up higher onto her waist to cover the lower half of her tunic. "There's nothing in my pocket." She grabbed a chicken finger off her plate and shoved it in his face. "Want a chicken finger? It's really good!" she cooed.

Hearing the exchange, Helen, who was seated on the other side of the child, reached over and lifted the napkin to see her daughter's pocket move. "Ashley?" she said in that "you are so in trouble" tone only a mother could do.

"That's nothing," Ashley declared as her hand clamped down on the moving lump.

"That better not be a mouse," Henry exclaimed. "That especially better not be Teddy the mouse."

A tiny, elongated pink nose peeked out of Ashley's pocket. "Definitely not a mouse," Helen remarked, tilting her head to glare at her naughty child.

"Oops," Ashley muttered, lowering her head to look up through her thick dark lashes at her angry mother.

"Well, I guess we've moved past the normal family at a zoo scenario," John dryly remarked as he stared at his daughter.

"Those odds were never good to begin with," James remarked in amusement. "This family's never been good at being normal."


	15. Vignettes from the Zoo Part 2

Author's Note: The title of this story doesn't really fit anymore since they're back in Old City in current time but I'm too lazy to start another story, especially since I don't know how much long this one will go on. So let's just pretend the title of the story is now "Scenes from Old City."

Chapter 15: Vignettes from the Zoo Part 2

"Explain. And it better be good," Helen warned her daughter as she watched the creature slowly peek its head out of the tunic pocket. A pair of little pink paws came to rest on the top of the pocket and a pair of black inquisitive eyes serenely looked around.

"That's one of the baby hedgehogs from the children's petting zoo," Henry exclaimed and then lowered his voice at the glare Helen aimed his way. It was a good thing their table was the furthest from the others. "But how did you get away with him without getting caught?"

"I expect your little squirm dance with Teddy was distraction enough," Helen surmised as she stared hard at her little miscreant. "Well, what have you got to say for yourself, young lady?"

Biting the bottom of her lip, Ashley racked her brain to come up with a good excuse to get her out of being grounded when they got home while her right hand stroked the stomach of the little creature that seemed perfect happy resting in her pocket. She had found the perfect pet and just had to figure out a way to keep it.

"I'm waiting," Helen prompted again.

"Oscar wanted to go home with me," her daughter hesitantly began. "He told me so."

Helen's eyebrow shot up in disbelief. "He told you he wanted to go home with you," she repeated dryly. "He said this in English, did he?"

"No, he spoke hedgehog," Ashley explained, causing Henry and John to snort a laugh. Her mother continued to give her a stern look. "Anyway," the child hurriedly continued, "it was his idea to crawl into my pocket and then he fell asleep." She gave her mother what she hoped was a believable smile. "I guess I just forgot he was in there."

Blowing out a harsh breath, her mother said, "How convenient. You just happen to forget there was a stolen creature in your pocket, huh? Is that what you're trying to sell me?"

"Yes?" Ashley said weakly as she screwed up her face worriedly. This was not going well at all. Her mother was wearing her "I am so going to ground you" look that Ashley knew only too well.

On the other side of her mother, John gave his only child a sympathetic look and commented, "Like mother, like daughter." He knew what it was like to be on the wrong end of Helen's temper and as far as he was concerned one tiny, stolen hedgehog was the least of the crimes any of them had committed in the last decade.

"I have never stolen an animal from a zoo," Helen indignantly replied. Well, not from someplace officially called a zoo she thought to herself.

"No, but you have smuggled them from ancient tombs, high security government facilities, foreign countries such as Nepal, and private collections of the rich and nefarious," he reminded her. "And let's not forget that ugly, squawking Phoenix hatchling you wanted to snatch before its parents revived and came after us. I believe you still have the adult feathers hidden somewhere."

"Honestly, sometimes I could just slap you," Helen softly hissed at her lover as she aimed a reproachful glare his way. Here she was trying to correct their daughter's bad behavior and he in turn was pointing out her bad behavior to justify their brat's bad behavior.

He chuckled, turned on by the way her sapphire eyes flashed angrily at him as her well endowed chest heaved in her tight red dress, and very softly replied, "Now, now. No foreplay in front of the child. We wouldn't want to give her any ideas about us, would we? You'll just have to wait until we get home and are alone."

The loud scraping of a chair being abruptly pushed back caused them to look up. Nikola, whose acute vampire hearing picked up their whispered exchange, had a pained grimace on his face. Snarling, "Do you mind? Some of us just ate! Now I'm going to have to find some Tums or Rolaids to settle my stomach," he stomped away from the table.

"Wonder what got into him," John smirked and then grinned wider as Helen made a low growling sound under her breath. She didn't know what was worse. Her precocious, miniature felon-in-the-making or that child's over grown, cheeky, far-beyond-felon of a father. And in five months time she would be bringing another one into the world. God help them all.

From across the table James raised an eyebrow at them. "Should I even ask?"

"No," Helen answered. "You truly do not want to know."

"Thought as much," he smirked and turned his attention back to his date, who was laughing at something Kate had said. She did have the most musical laugh he thought affectionately as he tuned his pain in the backside classmates out of his mind.

Turning her focus back to her daughter, Helen prompted her with "You know what you have to do now, don't you?" and was unprepared for Ashley's hopeful response of "Keep Oscar?" Absently smacking her chuckling lover on the chest with her left hand, Helen glared at the child on her right. "No, you don't get to keep him, you naughty child. He has to be returned and you're going to apologize for what you did."

Pouting, Ashley whined, "But, mommy, it's my birthday tomorrow. He wants me to keep him. He said so."

"Keep this up, Ashley, and there will be no birthday party tomorrow," Helen threatened and was unmoved by the tears that started to well up in the child's eyes.

Sniffling, Ashley softly wailed, "But it's my birthday," and pulled the hedgehog out of her pocket to clutch it to her chest desperately. "And I love him," she pleaded as a tear fell down her cheek.

Sighing, John started to say "Oh, for goodness sake, just let her have the hedge…" and was suddenly cut off as he felt Helen's hand wrap around the top of his tie to choke him quiet. Eyes widening, he stared at her in surprise and realized from the determined look on her face that the hedgehog was a no go. Which meant that a temper tantrum was bound to occur soon enough.

Once she was certain John got the message, she released her grip on his tie and went to stand. "Let's go," she ordered and pulled her daughter's chair back from the table. The quicker she got them moving the less able Ashley was to fight it.

"But mommy," Ashley began tearfully and was quickly cut off when her mother leaned down close and hissed, "Cause a scene and it will be a very long time before you set foot outside the Sanctuary grounds again, do you understand me?" Sniffling, Ashley nodded and, tucking Oscar back into her pocket, got up and allowed her angry mother to march her away from the table.

Sighing, John shook his head and chugged the rest of his wine before standing to follow after his family. Tapping Henry on the shoulder, he commanded, "Let's go."

"What? Why do I have to go?" Henry asked. "You know Ashley is just going to cry and throw a fit."

"You were the distraction which allowed her to swipe the creature," John retorted. "And more importantly, if I have to suffer through my daughter's crying fit then so do you."

"Why me?" Henry cried as he was pulled out of his chair. He grabbed at a few of the remaining hors d'oeuvre on his plate as Druitt dragged him away.

"Because we're a family… of odd sorts… and again, if I have to suffer through Ashley's crying so do you," John drawled sarcastically and then gave the rest of the members of their table a little goodbye smile as they stopped talking to observe the two struggling men. "No, you don't want to know," John told James, who had raised an eyebrow at him in question.

"Thought as much," he quipped unworriedly. As Henry was practically a son to Helen he had no concern that Druitt would actually harm the boy. He suspected John was dragging the boy along as a buffer to Helen's temper which had obviously flared up over something the child had just done.

Across the way, Nikola observed the group tromping off unhappily and shook his head. So much drama over one little rodent. His hand reached for another glass of wine and instead ended up landing on a warm hand that had beaten him to the glass. Turning to frown at the interloper, he was happily surprised to find that hand attached to a most attractive red head.

"Sorry," she said unapologetically as she smiled at him. "I believe it is first come first served," she continued as she lifted the glass out of his reach.

"I could totally come up with an inappropriate take on that comment," he offered as he gave her a toothy grin. "But that would be ungentlemanly." Picking up her other hand, he bowed low over it as he said, "Nikola Tesla, at your service."

Amused at his cheekiness, the red head laughed. "Evelyn Saunders," she greeted back. "And I take it you're named after the famous scientist?"

Smile widening, he preened, "You've heard of me?"

"I've heard of him," she grinned back. "You, on the other hand, good sir, are a mystery."

"Mysterious," he teased back, "I like that. It's a good characterization of my magnetic personality." Her lilting Irish accent complimented her perfect pale complexion and long, dark red hair and Nikola immediately felt himself drawn to her.

She laughed again. "I said mystery. Not mysterious." Normally such unabashed behavior by men turned her off but there was something about this one that appealed to her. He was impeccably dressed and his short, spiked hair stood up like a porcupine and she had to resist the urge to touch it with her fingers.

"Same difference," he replied as he moved closer. Their little flirtation was interrupted as two rowdy boys bumped into them as they loudly argued over which event they were going to next.

"Excuse you," Evelyn reprimanded firmly, cutting off the boys' smart comeback with a sharp look.

"Sorry," they mumbled and moved off.

"I see you're good with children," Nikola commented as he frowned at the departing brats. Those two boys had been disrupting events all night and so far Tesla had been able to resist the urge to zap them. Mostly because Helen had been standing nearby.

"I am," Evelyn confidently replied. "I'm even better at giving them back," she joked, garnering another smile from the cute stranger.

"I take it you don't have any of the ankle biters."

She laughed. "Hardly. They're like puppies. Cute to play with but soon exhausting and forever loud and messy. And what about you? I notice you don't have an ankle biter by your side."

"I'm here with my godchild," he replied. "She's not so much an ankle biter as an ankle kicker," he joked. "As far as children go she's quite entertaining."

"I'm sure she is if she's with you," Evelyn grinned back and took a sip of her wine. The duo move off to the side as others came over for drinks and carried on their flirtation. Nikola was pleased to discover that she was a visiting musician with the local orchestra and would be performing in the next hour. He was even more pleased to learn she played the piano.

After another ten minutes, she frowned and announced that she better rejoin her group and prepare for their performance. Extracting a promise from him to come hear her play, she happily sashayed off, perfectly aware of the pair of approving eyes zeroed on her curvy figure as she moved away.

"Who says the animals are the primary attraction at a zoo," Nikola commented under his breath as he set off to find his missing party. The highlight of his evening was yet to come he thought as he swaggered on his way.

Meanwhile, back at the children's petting zoo, Ashley was mournfully returning Oscar to Dr. Ellen Hopkins, who, along with her assistants, had been frantically combing the large room trying to find the missing animal. Big, sorrowful blue eyes stared up Ellen as the child held out the hedgehog and mumbled an apology while her stern mother stood beside her with arms crossed. Under normal circumstances Ellen would have given the offender quite a stern lecture. The child in question, however, was the daughter of Helen Magnus and Ellen felt a pang of sympathy for the girl. She had had a passing acquaintance with Helen's first daughter, Ashley, and had therefore found Helen's naming of her second daughter after the dead first one a bit, well, creepy. The poor child was living in her older sister's footsteps quite literally.

Sitting down, Ellen placed the gentle hedgehog on her lap and gave the child a smile. "While it was naughty of you to take Oscar, I do appreciate your honesty in returning him safe and sound. He's still a baby and needs to be with his mother."

Ashley nodded somberly as she locked her fingers together and stared at the creature whose little nose was titled up in the air sniffing. Darn. She had been so close to getting the pet she wanted.

"You really like the animals, don't you?" Ellen gently asked and received an emphatic "Uh huh" from the girl. Looking at Helen, she said, "Like mother, like daughter," and chuckled when Helen retorted, "Oh, don't you start that too. John's already tried that line on me in defense of her." Focusing back on the child, Ellen added, "Oscar, like his mother and littermates, is part of the children's zoo here and will be participating in our monthly education programs. Would you like to come each month and visit him? I could arrange for you to be a special helper with the animals where you would learn how to care for each one and help teach other kids about the importance of protecting endangered animals. What do you say?"

Eyes lighting up, Ashley bounced on balls of her feet excitedly. "I wanna be a special helper. Can I, mommy? Please?"

Helen flashed her friend a grateful smile. Ellen had come up with the perfect solution to Ashley's desire for a pet without actually saddling her family with one full-time. "I think that Ellen has made you a very gracious offer and if you promise not to take any more of her animals then you may participate."

Ashley's shriek of excitement caused Oscar to roll up defensively into a prickly ball and she clamped her hands over her mouth in regret. "Sorry!" she whispered, fearful that her mother's friend would rescind her offer. "I'm sorry," she repeated again.

Reaching out to rub the girl's back, Ellen smiled. "No worries. Hedgehogs are fond of rolling up into a ball. You'll find out why at next month's meeting."

Spying her father and Henry at the back of the room, Ashley ran to them with a huge grin on her face. "I'm going to be a special helper and I get to come back each month and visit Oscar!" she happily informed the pair.

"A most excellent solution to the problem," John agreed, patting his daughter's golden head while he smiled at the two women walking his way. He and Henry had come in part way during the women's conversation and had heard Ellen's offer to the child. "Thank you," he nodded to Ellen, whom he had only met on one other occasion.

"Being a special helper sounds like a lot of fun," Henry commented, adding, "Unless it involves Teddy the mouse." That got a good laugh from the group.

By the time Tesla caught up with his group they were at the reptile house. Ashley, along with eleven other giddy children, were holding up a very fat, very long boa constrictor while an attendant was holding the creature's head and explaining to the children why Thor's skin wasn't slimy like one would expect it to be. Ashley, naturally, was standing at the front end, next to the attendant, and was having a grand old time playing with the snake and the other children. At one point when Thor's long tongue flickered out Ashley boldly stuck her finger out to quickly touch it, garnering her several "ewwws!" and "gross!" from the other children who afterwards all wanted their turn doing the same thing.

John, who was seated next to Helen across the room, chuckled. "If we'd let her do that during the Victorian era we would probably have been accused of being pagans. Or at the very least uncouth."

Helen gave a soft, musical laugh. "Or both." After a moment, she continued seriously. "Ashley would have hated growing up during our time. So many restraints. If there was one true gift I gave to our daughter it was the gift of growing up in modern times."

Turning to her, he asked softly, "Was it truly so bad? For you, I mean. We didn't know any other way then."

"It wasn't horrible, just very tiresome with all the rules of you can do this but you can't do that because you're a woman. I can't count the number of times growing up that I wished I had been born a man."

Lifting her hand to his lips he kissed it. "And I can't count the number of times I was grateful you weren't a man," he teased, eliciting a laugh from her.

"Is that so?" she inquired as awareness of the warmth of his fingers stroking her hand overcame her.

Any response he was going to make was cut short by a loud squawking nearby. Tesla, who had been watching Ashley from near the entrance, hadn't been paying attention to the figures around him, including the lanky one of Henry, who had shuffled up beside him holding a large lizard. Mischievously, the young HAP had carried over the largest of the lizards to tease the neat freak vamp.

"Hey, Dracula, a friend of yours wanted to say hello," Henry cracked as he positioned the lizard at the same height as Tesla's face and grinned.

"Argh!" Nikola croaked in surprise at finding the reptile shoved in his face. "Get that unhygienic creature away from me! I'm wearing a new suit," he huffed angrily as he swatted his hand at it.

Titus the Lizard, offended by Tesla, suddenly leapt on the shoulder of his abuser, hooking his claws securely into the back of Nikola's collar. His tail flopped down on the left side of Tesla's chest while curiously he pivoted his chartreuse head around the right side of the startled scientist's head. "What the…!" Nikola howled, shaking back and forth trying to dislodge the creature. "Get it off! Get it off!"

"Déjà vu. Haven't we already played this record tonight?" John snorted as he took in the scene of Nikola twisting back and forth trying to knock off the creature that was holding on for dear life with its hooked claws while a laughing Henry tried to pull it off by its large back legs.

"It's just a lizard," Henry said. "Don't be such a big baby. You're both cold blooded creatures. You might even be related hundreds of centuries back."

"Get it off me, Heinrich, this instant before I zap you both," Nikola hissed and then cringe when Titus flicked his tongue onto his cheek. "Argh! Antiseptic! I need antiseptic!"

Grunting, Henry tried to hold the surprisingly powerful back legs against his chest while trying to pry one of the lizard's front legs free. "Alright Titus, let the grumpy scientist go or otherwise he'll fry both of us." He groaned when Titus leaned up and put a front paw on top of Tesla's head to calmly twist his head back and forth taking in sights.

Scowling, Nikola looked up as he felt the weight shift onto the top of his head. "Great. Now my hair's messed up. I am so going to fry you, wolf boy."

"What? Hold on. It was an accident. I didn't know Titus was going to try to scale up you like the Empire State Building," Henry vigorously protested as he tried to pull harder. Stupid lizard, he thought. It was going to get both of them electrocuted by a vengeful vampire with no sense of humor.

"Oh dear," Helen laughed as she took in the murderous look on her old friend's face. "Nikola's going to kill him. I better go over," she said, giggling. She stood up and had just started to step towards them when the racket he and Henry made caught the attention of the others in the room. The 12 or so children who had been playing with the snake looked over at the duo, saw the big lizard riding piggyback on Tesla's shoulders and immediate started to wander over. The snake was old news now.

Ashley, beating her mother over to their side, looked up at her godfather with a big grin. "Wow, that's the biggest lizard I've ever seen. Well, besides Bill but he's a two legged one."

"There's no such thing as a two-legged lizard," a snotty boy who looked around ten years old proclaimed, causing Ashley to give him a death glare.

"Is so," Ashley retorted. "Bill walks on two legs. He only has two. He has two hands."

"You are such a liar," another snotty boy told her.

Indignant, Ashley exclaimed, "I am not!" Looking at her mother, she demanded, "Tell them, mommy. Tell them that Bill only has two legs."

"Not now," Helen said, cutting her daughter's protest off by addressing the two men. "Pulling and pushing on the lizard is only going to make him dig in his claws. Henry, stand before Nikola and allow it to crawl onto your shoulders. You can lean over and allow it to crawl off afterwards."

"Better make it fast, Heinrich, before I reach full charge and make wolf steak out of you," Nikola threatened as he reached beside him to grab a hold of Henry's jacket and yank him forward.

"Hey mister," the ten year old who had been arguing with Ashley said, "Stop hogging the giant lizard. We want to play with it too."

His sidekick added, "Yeah, mister. Stop hogging the lizard. Aren't you really old to be playing with lizards anyway?"

"He's not that old," Ashley defended. "He's the same age as my mother."

"Then your mother's ancient," the ten year old shot back, then cried out in pain as Ashley kicked him in the shin.

"Nobody calls my mother ancient but me," the child declared and was about to kick the other boy who cried, "I'm going to tell your mother!" "Go ahead," Ashley snorted, "She's standing right next to you!"

"Okay, that's enough, all of you," Helen commanded, placing her arm between the squabbling children, as she kept an eye on the lizard, which had transferred onto Henry's back. He bent over and was immediately surrounded by children who eagerly petted the big beast.

Grunting, Henry said, "Someone want to get Titus off my back? He's heavy."

"You must be a weakling," the ten year old boy taunted. "It's just a lizard."

Henry glared at him. "Then you take him," he suggested as he lowered himself to sit down on the ground. Unfortunately, Titus decided he liked the height and tried to climb onto Henry's head like he had done with Tesla. Thankfully the creature's two handlers came to his rescue and each grabbed a hold the short, powerful legs to lift Titus off the panting man. Titus was put back on the ground and waddled slowly forward as the cluster of children huddled around him to pet him and giggle.

"I want to hold him," the obnoxious boy demanded and was put out when the head handler told him no. "I'm telling my mom," he threatened then stopped when he saw the reprimanding look on Helen's face.

"Everyone can play with the lizard where he is at," she commanded in a tone that eliminated any counter protest.

"Yeah," Ashley smugly agreed as she patted the lizard's head. She was debating kicking the boy in the other shin but refrained seeing that her mother was in her "don't mess with me" mode.

Tesla eyed the two male brats with disfavor. There were very few children in this world his liked… well, okay, only one… and these two brats were prime examples of why he disliked ankle biters. These were the same two boys they had been having run ins with all night. If they kept this up, he was going to teach them a lesson whether Helen was present or not. His focus shifted to Helen as he felt her fingers go into his hair and he looked up at her in surprise.

"There," she smiled as she finished finger combing his hair back into place. "No damage done," she said and giggled as his nose crinkled up in a frown.

"I'm scarred for life," he insisted seriously. "I probably have salmonella poisoning," he insisted pitifully.

"Oh suck it up, Tesla," John said with a roll of his eyes as he came up to them. "You're too mean to cave into salmonella poisoning."

"Oh look who's talking," Nikola retorted. "The king of mean."

Helen rolled her eyes and dug into her small clutch purse and pulled out a packet of anti-bacterial wipes. Taking one out, she picked up Nikola's hands and gently wiped each one, causing him to give her a lopsided grin. She didn't need to look to the side to know that John was frowning.

"Don't forget my face," Nikola reminded her. "It licked me," he said with a cringe. Patronizing him, Helen pulled out another wipe and gently swabbed his face. He'd been on his best behavior on this trip so far so she was going to go out of her way to keep him happy for everyone's sake.

"Oh good Lord," John groaned and moved away to go his daughter, who was now stroking a smaller lizard resting on her other raised hand. Henry, who was seated on the floor next to her, was mirroring her with another one on his hand.

"Say cheese," John called and snapped some photos as they grinned up at him.

"I don't suppose you took any of Vlad with the lizard on him," Henry asked hopefully.

"Pictures no," John answered, grinning broadly as he added, "Video footage absolutely. It's going on our Christmas reel."

Laughing, Henry said, "Oh, dude, we have to put it on first. He'll have a fit and choke on his liquor-laced eggnog."

"Definitely," John laughed back. The two looked over at Tesla and grinned evilly.

Nikola, seeing their smiles, muttered, "They're up to no good," to Helen, who gave a soft laugh. She had a pretty good idea of why the two were grinning. This year's Christmas reel was going to be the best one yet.


	16. The Golden Child part 1

Author's Note: Sorry it's been a while since this story has been updated. Got caught up in writing Tempest in a Teapot. Anyway, hope you enjoy the chapter and feedback is always appreciated!

Chapter 16: The Golden Child part 1

"Now this is more like it," the sharp dressed scientist exclaimed as he held his arm upright and outstretched. A tiny paper cup, like the ones used for condiments at restaurants, filled with nectar was tucked between his curved fingers. Around him were the sounds of chirping and the quick fluttering of wings and he closed his eyes happily as he felt the soft bodies landing on his hand and arms to partake of the sweet treat.

A familiar series of giggles below him caused him to open his eyes and look down to find his goddaughter's little face lit up in a big grin as the small birds perched on her and greedily ate from her paper cup. "This is so cool!" Ashley loudly whispered and slowly reached out her other hand to gently stroke the brightly colored creatures dancing on and along her other arm.

"Birds are cool," Nikola agreed with a grin. "Why humans bother with dogs, cats and other sundry of creatures for pets is beyond me. Just shows their lack of imagination. Birds are free spirits, graceful acrobats of the sky, and skilled hunters. What's not to like?"

"Bird poop?" Henry suggested. "The squawking? The dive bombing during the annual spring mating season? The beady little eyes that following you around as you're walking by? The way they wiggle their heads like snakes as they're making weird guttural cries?"

Both Nikola and Ashley turned to look at him with the same surprised, comical expressions. "Have some serious avian issues, do we, young Heinrich?" Nikola asked with a smirk. "Perhaps you were a bird dog in a former life and the birds are out to even the score. Do you have dreams of chasing birds on four legs? Or maybe carrying a duck out of the water in your mouth?"

Henry made a face at the smart aleck vampire. "I don't think so. And there's no such thing as reincarnation… at least none that we've experienced." As soon as the words left his mouth he froze and both he and Tesla looked down at the child standing between them. No one was exactly sure how Ashley came back into being again but she was definitely the same person. Both genetically and personality wise. Henry had experienced several moments of déjà vu with the child as she would say or do something that eerily mirrored what Ashley had said or done the first time she was a child.

"What?" the girl asked as they continued to stare at her creepily.

"Uh," Henry stuttered, "you've got a bird on your head," he deflected, using the bird as an excuse for their blatant staring.

"So do you!" Ashley pointed out. "Two in fact. And one just pooped on your shoulder," she giggled.

"Ew!" Henry groaned and turned to look at the small spot on his shoulder. "That is so gross."

"See, karma for being a former bird dog," Tesla teased, but it was only half hearted. Henry had inadvertently brought up a touchy subject. The origins of Ashley the sequel. How had she come back from the dead? Granted, there had been no body or remains found when Ashley had teleported herself and that other superabnormal into the EM shield but, as a scientist, there was no logical way Tesla could explain for her being able to survive the collision. Druitt himself would have died had he tried the same thing. They all knew it and accepted that fact. So how did Ashley manage to survive?

He and Henry exchanged glances again, both clearly thinking along the same lines of thought. How powerful, truly, was the golden child? As one, they both stared at the girl in wonder. She hadn't shown any abnormal powers yet and her DNA work repeatedly came up clear of any alterations the Cabal had engineered in her previous incarnation. The same tests also showed that she was slightly different from her former self and her mother suspected that Ashley's teleporting ability would not be latent this go round.

"You're staring again," Ashley said and then squealed when the birds around them flew up in an alarmed cloud as a pair of loud, obnoxious boys ran by. "Hey!" she exclaimed angrily and shook her little fist at them. "You scared my birds away and made me drop my cup!"

"Can't help it if you're a klutz, klutz!" the taller boy yelled back over his shoulder as he and his cohort ran toward the curve of the large, oval shaped wire enclosure that served as the greeting room for the small, exotic birds that were friendly enough to land on people for nectar feeding. The larger center enclosure was set up like a tropical forest and served as the birds' main habitat. Other participants also expressed their displeasure at the disruption and the boys slowed down when one of the attendants yelled at them to stop their horseplay.

"Those two again," Nikola growled lowly and clenched and unclenched his hand in annoyance. "Someone needs to teach them a lesson in proper behavior in public."

"Don't even think about it," Henry advised with a shake of his shaggy head. "Magnus will have a fit if you fry those brats."

"My nectar," Ashley wailed as she picked up what was left of her flattened paper cup and squeezed out what little liquid remained. "It's all gone. Now how am I supposed to feed the birds?" she asked as she looked up at the two men with sad, puppy dog eyes.

"We'll get some more," Henry said, taking her hand and leading her away. "In fact, we'll get two cups this time."

"The grumpy attendant said we could only have one," Ashley reminded him.

"Just leave it to me," Henry said, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "I'll get us a spare cup when Helga the Horrible isn't looking."

Tesla watched the pair walking away. He had not known them as children but had heard stories of their closeness growing up. He had observed Henry's grief at losing the girl he considered his younger sibling and then had seen firsthand the HAP's protectiveness of her when she was reborn. Reborn. His mind flew back to his earlier train of thought before those uncouth urchins had interrupted them. The colorful whirlwind of feathers appeared around him again and he automatically raised his curled hand to offer up what was left of the nectar in his paper cup. How long had it been now since Helen told him what had happened those many years ago?

In what seemed like a blink of an eye, he heard the child's familiar voice sing out, "We're back! And we got two this time!" and he managed to get out, "Got past Helga the Horrible I see," when the same brats rounded the corner and came flying towards them again. Ashley and Henry were in the center of the walkway, just three feet away from Tesla, when the accident occurred. The boys, racing around them, bumped into the pair and caused them to trip unexpectedly. Ashley's high pitched shriek preceded Henry's "Hey, watch it!" as they pitched forward to the ground.

The boys skidded to a halt nearby as the same attendant yelled at them from the other end of the curved walkway. Turning back, they beheld the tall, skinny man with spiked hair lifting the crying girl into an upright sitting position.

As Henry lifted Ashley up to make sure she was okay Nikola saw the bright splotches of blood on the child's palms, which had gotten scratched up as they hit the rough floor surface of the feeding area they were standing in, and the last of his temper finally snapped. Spinning on his heels he turned to face their attackers with obvious rage on his face.

The boys, seeing his pale face darken, pressed themselves against the wire fencing that encased the circular feeding room. The older one stuttered an unapologetic excuse of "It was an accident, mister. We can't help it if she's a klutz!" which was thoroughly the wrong thing to say to the livid vampire.

Their eyes widened as the man's green eyes turned into onyx and he hissed "Nobody bullies my godchild!" through a tight, clenched jaw. Tesla himself had been on the receiving end of much teasing and bullying growing up, including during his early years at Oxford, before he joined The Five. Him being unwealthy and a foreigner with an accent inevitably invited others to harass him when they could. He dodged and outsmarted the bullies the best he could and much of bullying dissipated when it was made clear to the others that Nikola was no longer alone. Druitt's size was encouragement enough to leave members of The Five be and, for the few that did try to put one of them down, James and Helen's sharp tongues and wit, like Tesla's own, put those offenders in their proper place. Which was exactly where the angry vampire was going to put this pair of bullies. Reaching out a hand he touched one of the horizontal metal bars and sent an electric current through it toward the rude brats. The boys gave a loud yelp of pain and shot forward whereupon they tripped over their own feet and went flying through the wire mesh of the opposite wall into the center housing for birds.

Ignoring the startled cries of the dozen or so other people in the area and the shout of the attendant who charged after the boys, Tesla turned back to his companions as his appearance returned to normal. Henry had gotten Ashley back on her feet and was holding her wrists to examine her palms.

"These scratches aren't deep," Henry determined as he tried to sooth the child. "A good wash with an alcohol wipe, a few bandages and you'll be fine." He glanced up at the vampire and shook his head. "And Magnus is going to have a fit when she finds out what you did."

"You would have done the same thing if you could and had enough nerve to do it," Nikola retorted. "You found them as distasteful as I."

"True," Henry agreed. "But she'll still get her knickers in a twist."

"I don't wear knickers," Helen suddenly interjected, causing both men to jump. "And I assume you are responsible for that racket," she surmised with a nod of her head in the direction of where the male attendant, who was dragging the two protesting boys out of the bird enclosure, was loudly proclaiming that their parents would be paying for all the damage due to their rough housing.

"But it wasn't our fault, mister, honest!" the ten year old was saying. He pointed in Tesla's direction as they passed. "He caused us to fall into the cage. He turned into a monster and zapped us!" The attendant shook his head at the crazy excuse and pulled them forward to exit the exterior door. Rich kids, the attendant thought to himself. Brats and liars every last one of them.

John, who had arrived behind Helen, noticed the splotches of blood on his child and exclaimed loudly, "What happened to Ashley's hands?"

"Those boys knocked me down!" she cried and gave her parents a loud, pitiful sniff. "I cut my hands on the floor when I fell. And they knocked the nectar cups out of my hands twice, daddy! They were mean and kept calling me a klutz."

"Oh they did, did they?" John growled. He turned in the direction of where the boys departed with a narrowing of his blue eyes. Nobody picked on his child and got away with it he growled to himself.

"They are just children," Helen said as she grabbed the back of his jacket to stop him. "We'll clean up Ashley's hands, put a band aid on them and she'll be fine."

Still incensed, John huffed, "I don't care if they are children. They are not getting away with bullying our young daughter."

"And they didn't," Henry quickly piped up. "Tesla put them in their place and they've been carted off by the attendant to pay for the damages. The brats didn't get off scot free."

"Nikola," Helen reprimanded as she wrapped an arm around Ashley to escort her out, "what did you do to them?"

"Nothing that I wouldn't have done if I could," Henry stuck up for the vamp. "Those kids are just lucky they got him instead of me. This was the second time they've pushed her and my bite is definitely worse than my bark."

Helen tightened her hold on John's jacket as he moved to go after the boys again. "That does not justify harming them. They are still children, albeit badly behaved ones."

"I don't care if they're cupids with wings playing the harp," Nikola drawled testily. "Nobody messes with my godchild and gets away with it," he proclaimed seriously as he crossed his arms. "Bullying is unacceptable in any form."

John eyed his old classmate appreciatively. Who'd have thought Nikola Tesla would take godfathering duties so seriously? "Quite right," he murmured.

Sighing at all the macho testosterone swirling around her, Helen led the group out of the enclosure and back into the zoo. Deflecting the child's whines that she wanted to go back to feed the birds, Helen got a nearby attendant to retrieve a first aid kit and set about cleaning up her pouting child's hands. A large band aid was placed diagonally across each palm and Helen ignored the large scowl on John's face as he beheld the proof of his daughter's injuries. It was fortunate for those boys that they were children; otherwise the upset father would have grabbed them and shoved them down the nearest cliff.

Since the bird enclosure was shut down to temporarily repair the damage for the night, Helen suggested that they move on to the next activity. Ashley's pout turned upside down at learning that the horse carriage ride was up next. The group walked down the stairs to the station where the carriages picked up and dropped off visitors.

Ashley skipped ahead to the pair of large white horses and their hitched, open topped, black cab waiting by the sidewalk. Her father grabbed her before she could try to climb up on one of the equines and lifted her up into his arms so that she could pet them at eye level. "I want to ride one of the horses," she declared and gave a big pout as the adults immediately answered with "no" and "absolutely not."

"You promised I could ride a horse," she insisted stubbornly.

"No," her mother corrected firmly, "I promised you could go for a horse ride with your father."

Looking over to her godfather, who had remained back on the sidewalk and was looking around in a bored fashion, she called, "You think I should get to ride the horse, right uncle Nikola?"

He disappointed her with his reply of "I do not think anyone should have to ride one of those unpredictable creatures. There's a reason man invented automobiles."

Ashley turned back to the horse and continued to pout as she pet the large, soft head. "I still want to ride a horse."

"I'm afraid Gene and Audrey are not the riding type of horses," a kindly large man said as he came around the side of the carriage. "They prefer to trot quickly like they're dancing as they pull the carriage along and have their pretty manes sway in the wind. They're a bit vain, my pretties." He gave the pair a loving rub on their muzzles and they in turn whinnied and pushed against his chest and shoulder. "Come for a ride and they'll show you how pretty they can prance," he tempted the child.

"Can I ride up on the front seat?" she asked excitedly as she pointed to the black polished bench behind the horses.

"I'm afraid not, little one," the big man who introduced himself as George informed her. "It's against regulations for anyone but the driver to ride up front. However, I might be able to swing you being allowed to feed them a few carrots and an apple afterwards."

Her parents laughed as Ashley's eyes lit up. "Deal!" she squealed and squirmed in her father's arms. "Let's go for a ride!"

John lifted his excited daughter into the carriage after Henry and then turned to offer a hand to his lover. "Actually, I think I'll pass," she said. At his quizzical look, she gave him a small smile. "I've had a lot to eat tonight. The bouncing of the carriage might not agree with me right now."

"You, with a weak stomach?" he said. "That's not like you my love."

Her smile got wider and she responded by leaning up to kiss him on the cheek. "Perhaps I'm not quite myself at the moment," she teased and, turning away, murmured in parting, "Have a good ride. Do try to keep our daughter from further harm please." She could feel his eyes fixated on her curvy figure as she walked back to the sidewalk to join Tesla and deliberately strutted to emphasize those curves in her tight red dress.

Together, Helen and Nikola waved at Ashley as the carriage headed out on its promenade around the center of the zoo. "So," Nikola drawled slyly once they were alone, "you don't wear knickers. That creates quite a vision in my active little imagination."

"Oh, shut up," Helen laughed and bumped his shoulder with hers affectionately. Tucking her arm into the crook of his, she demanded, "And you buy me a drink. At this rate I'm going to need to be plastered before the night is over."

"That's what happens when you mix ankle biters with wild animals," he teased back as they slowly strolled back up the stairs. "Gets to the point where you can't tell one from the other. And don't rub it in that you can get plastered. I'm having to do this whole evening sober."

"Aw, poor baby," she laughed and briefly laid her head on his shoulder. "The things you have to do in the name of love."

"Tell me about it," he groaned good naturedly and then joined her in laughter. The best part of his evening was yet to come.


	17. The Golden Child part 2

Author's Note: This chapter is more focused the relationship between Helen and John which I was inspired to write about after reading the quote from Amanda Tapping recently about John not being dead and that there was interest in delving back into the relationship of Helen and John had there been a season 5 of Sanctuary.

Chapter 17: The Golden Child part 2

The laughter of the children and their escorts, mingled with the cheerful music, filled the crisp night air. The round and round, and up and down motion of the carousel caused the sounds to amplify and bounce in and out. It also caused Helen to experience a strong surge of dizziness and she melded back further into the dark to plop unceremoniously down into the wooden bench. Thank goodness she had declined the carousel ride otherwise things would have gotten really ugly. Leaning back against the back slats of the bench, she breathed in hard and let out a deep breath. "Okay, little one," she telepathetically said to her unborn child, "this is your mother speaking and you are not, under any circumstances, to make me throw up in public, is that understood?" When there was no reply, not that she was expecting one, she added, "Your older sister did that to me and I prefer not to repeat that unpleasant experience."

The mention of that embarrassing incident made her groan. Declan and Will had been very sympathetic about her throwing up on their shoes when the motion of the morning ferry kicked up a fearsome bout of nausea and then John had added to her embarrassment by going all caveman on her and teleporting her back home against her will. They arrived back in their bedroom at the Sanctuary just in time for her to inadvertently shove him hard into the wall and bang his head in her haste to rush to the bathroom to throw up again. The morning sickness she had experienced with her second pregnancy of Ashley during months 2-5 had been exhausting and nothing like the mildness of the first pregnancy.

The second pregnancy with Ashley. Her mind reflected back to that tumultuous time and even now it still amazed her that it had happened at all. And the way it had occurred was even more bizarre.

Eight years ago, a Tibetan empath had arrived at the Old City Sanctuary as part of a visiting delegation. The quiet, soft spoken Choden had politely asked to remain for an additional night when the delegation departed, stating that she was exhausted and needed to meditate to clear her head. Helen, worried about the elderly woman's health, had easily agreed to the request. Later that night, when Helen had gone to bring her a food tray and found the room empty, she and Henry had gone in search of the missing woman. Choden had been found standing alone in the chapel and murmuring lowly as if in the midst of having a conversation with an unseen person. She had appeared almost in a trance.

"Choden?" Helen had tentatively greeted, "are you alright?" It took several attempts before the empathy seemed to realize they were in the room with her.

"You're here," she breathlessly said as she fixed her eyes on Helen. "You're finally here. You can see me." Choden's hands were outstretched and she was swaying lightly. The light glowing around her appeared to grow stronger, causing Helen and Henry to take a weary step backward. "No, don't go," Choden cried out, only the voice that spoke was not that of the thick accented empathy. "Mom!"

"What's going on, Choden?" Helen asked wearily as the hairs on the back of her neck raised up in alarm. The voice that was speaking through the empathy was one she had not heard in six very long, painful years.

"Magnus?" Henry, recognizing the voice as well, exclaimed and moved closer to her. Neither was armed and the young man stared around looking for a makeshift weapon. Only wooden pews, podium, and finely carved candlesticks in sight.

"Mom? It's me. Ashley," the distant voice called out.

Helen's pulse jumped and her hands started to shake. She shook her head. "Ashley is dead," Helen growled back and she and Henry took a collective step back together.

"What are we dealing with?" Henry whispered harshly. "A shape shifter?"

"Since when have shape shifter's been able to produce a glow about them?" Helen hissed back. The empath's body jerkily moved a step forward like a puppet on a string.

"I can't hang on much longer," the distant voice cried. "I'm so tired. It's so hard to hold on."

"My daughter is dead. Stop this. Whatever game you're playing at, stop it right now." This woman had been with the Sanctuary Network for almost forty years. Whoever was doing this wasn't the woman she knew as Choden.

"Help me!" the voice cried as it moved another step forward. "I'm trapped and I can't break free. Help me, mommy!"

"Okay, I am seriously, seriously freaking out," Henry hissed and grabbed one of the hymnals from the back of a nearby pew.

"Keep it together, Henry," Helen grimly instructed him and also grabbed a book. It was the only weapon they had within reach. "Tell me how to help you," Helen addressed the figure as it took another clumsy step toward them.

"I want to come home," Ashley's voice cried pitifully. "Please. Bring me home. I want to come home."

"How do we know you're really Ashley?" Henry demanded, causing Helen to look at him sideways. "What? We need to find out if she's Ashley or not."

"I am Ashley," the voice shrilly cried. "And you're Henry. My Henry. You have a zigzag scar along the bottom of your left heel from a piece of glass you stepped on when you saved me from drowning in the river when I was eight years old."

Henry's head swiveled left to stare at Helen. As far as he knew only she, himself, Ashley and the Big Guy knew about that incident.

The empath suddenly took a deep, loud breath as if she were awakening and the glow about her seemed to flicker away for a second before coming back. "I can't hold on much longer," Ashley's voice cried out in despair. "She's fighting me. I want to come home, mom!"

"I don't believe you are Ashley," Helen countered, growing angrier by the minute at this cruel game. "Ashley is dead. Stop playing games with us, whoever you are." She began visibly shaking when the voice sang three lines of an old English lullaby that Helen used to sing to her daughter when she was a baby. Henry recognized the song too and grabbed Helen's shoulder to steady her when the book she was holding dropped from her limp hand.

"Help me, mom," the voice cried. "I can't hang on much longer. It's too hard."

"How? How do we help you?" Henry replied back. He kept a tight grip on Magnus' shoulder and tried to push away his concern over her paled complexion and shaking by keeping his focus on the female figure before them. The glow around the empathy was growing weaker, as was the voice emanating from the elderly woman.

"You need to do the renewal ritual," Ashley cried.

"Renewal ritual!" Henry yelped. "What kind of renewal ritual?"

"Hurry!" the voice said. "I can't hang on much longer. Help me, mommy!" the fading voice cried as the glow flickered away. The empath's body jerked and she collapsed onto the floor.

Beside him, Henry felt Helen drop as well as her knees gave out and dropped his book as he caught her around the waist before she hit the ground. "Ashley," she sobbed as tears ran down her face.

When the empath had been revived and the frazzled group gathered in the library, Choden told them about the visions she had of a small child talking to her. "The Golden Child," she said kept telling her that she needed to come home and asked for her help. The child wasn't threatening or scary… just frightened and missing her mother.

"What about this renewal ritual?" Will asked. "What ritual does she want performed?" Though he didn't believe it had actually been Ashley that had spoken to them it was obvious that something out of the ordinary had happened.

Choden shook her head. "I know not the ritual the child requires. Only that it must be completed before midnight of the next full moon."

"The next full moon is...," Henry began as he looked up the date on his tablet, "February 15th."

"There was one other thing," Choden hesitantly shared. "She showed me a symbol."

"A symbol of what?" the Big Guy gruffly inquired. He was standing behind Magnus's chair with one large, hairy hand resting on her shoulder. He'd plied her with piping hot tea and had forced her to eat a biscuit and yet she still seemed to be in a state of great distress.

"A red bird with one raised talon and a long tail," Choden said and, asking for paper, drew the symbol for them. There were characters underneath as well. It took a bit of research to discover that the characters were ancient Khmer which translated to read "one is reborn" or "to give rebirth." The bird symbol, on the other hand, eluded them. They discovered many similar looking symbols but not one exactly like the one Choden had drawn on the tablet her last night at the Sanctuary.

For the next three weeks the household tried to carry on normally while they searched for the symbol. James was working on it from his London location and Nikola from Rome. The passing of each day brought more internal turmoil for Helen, who tried to keep up her normal cool, detached façade. She held it together until the evening of February the 14th when she finally began to crack. Attempts to locate the bird symbol had not panned out and, determined to dwell in her pain alone, away from pitying glances and murmurs of sympathy, Helen had ordered the others to go out to celebrate with their loved ones. She'd finally managed to get rid of all of them except her old friend, who refused to leave the house and her alone.

"I have a lot of dusting to do," he gruffly insisted. "And a few episodes of Paranormal on the DVR to watch. I will be around if you need me though" he gently reminded her with a pat on the shoulder before leaving her alone.

And so it was she found herself up in her daughter's room an hour to midnight. The closed off room had been left intact since Ashley's departure. Moving about the large space Helen realized that it was more than just tidy, it was also clean. Her old friend must have been dusting the room on the sly. Not that it mattered if the room was clean she thought morosely as she sat down on the bed. Nothing really matter anymore without Ashley. The tears began to fall and once the flood gates opened she could hold nothing back.

Twenty minutes later he arrived to find her curled up on Ashley's bed and clutching a much loved and raggedy looking stuffed dog to her chest. Her face was red from crying and her eyes bloodshot and swollen. Sitting down on the bed next to her, he peered down at her. They hadn't seen each other in five months. Finally free of the energy elemental, he had quietly left to rediscover who he was and to come to terms with his life and what this meant for his future. Things had been awkward between them before he had left and the time spent apart had done wonders for putting things into perspective.

She finally acknowledge his presence by saying, "James contacted you, didn't he?" She was staring off blankly at the window outside which rain was falling steadily. Occasional thunder could be heard in the distance.

His answer of "Mr. Foss" surprised her enough to cause her to look at him. "Henry called you? Oh God, I must be worse off than I thought," she croaked and began crying again.

"Oh, Helen," he sighed and, lying down next to her, pulled her into his arms.

"My baby," she whimpered into his chest.

"I know," he whispered back. "I'm sorry," he said and rubbed comforting circles on her back.

"It was her voice, John," she wailed softly. "She begged me to bring her home and I don't know how."

"We tried everything we could to bring her home," he gently reminded her. "You used every connection you had to try to track down where the Cabal had her imprisoned and we teleported around the world following those leads. In the end, it wasn't enough."

"I know," she sobbed and clutched at the top of his shirt as she buried her head into his chest. "I should have tried harder. I was her mother. It was my job to keep her safe."

He gave a long sigh. The guilt that they both felt over failing to rescue their only child would never leave them. For himself he wasn't sure he wanted it too. He held onto that guilt as a way of punishing himself for failing his child in every way. But that shouldn't be the case for Helen. By all accounts she had been a good mother and he had seen firsthand how much she loved their child. "Stop punishing yourself, Luv. The only culprits responsible were Dana and her cronies at the Cabal."

"I can't," came the muffled reply against his chest. "I don't want to."

Giving a low snort, he kissed her the top of her head. They were more alike than she would ever admit. "I want you to," he murmured as he stroked her soft, jet black hair.

Tilting her head she looked up at him with wet lashes. "Why?" she asked. "Our daughter died because of me."

"Because I love you," he unabashedly stated. "And I don't want you to suffer over this anymore. You protected her for over 125 years and while she was alive she was healthy and beautiful… and determinedly stubborn and mouthy like her parents," he joked and was relieved to hear her give an involuntary laugh. "And I am grateful that you gave life to her despite her worthless, undeserving father. She was a bright light in a dreary world."

"You're not worthless," she murmured back and locked eyes with him. Their faces were so close that their noses were almost touching and they could feel the other's breath on their faces. They also felt their heartbeats pick up its pace. Her hands had moved further down on his chest to rest right above his waist and one of his lightly skimmed down her spine, causing her to softly shiver, to come to a rest at the top of her backside.

"But I am undeserving," he appraised. "You were both beauty and perfection personified and I am but a bumbling ass in comparison."

She laughed again and reached up with one hand to cup his smooth cheek. "I would never have fallen in love with a bumbling ass, Montague John Druitt. You were eloquent, gentle and sweet and I loved you beyond all reason. It was why I kept our child and went through with the pregnancy. Because you were her father and I loved you."

It was a vulnerable admission on her part and it took his breath away. He had always believed that she had the child because Ashley was theirs but never did he think she would ever admit it anyone, let alone to him. And at this moment they were lying on a bed, tightly pressed against one another and both completely vulnerable.

"Helen," he began and was cut off as she lean forward and captured his lips with hers. Soon their hands were exploring the other's body and their kisses deepened. They both knew they shouldn't be doing this but emotions took over and neither seemed willing, or able, to stop it. And perhaps, for a short time, they could forget their violent past and the loss of their precious child as they passionately engaged in lovemaking for the first time in over a century.

In the midst of their ardent second round of lovemaking they heard a loud crack of thunder move through the sky close enough to shake the structure and seconds later their joined bodies felt a sharp surge of electricity pierce through them as if a bolt of lightning had come through the ceiling and struck them.


	18. The Golden Child part 3

Chapter 18: The Golden Child part 3

Early next morning they awoke to tangled limbs and renewed awareness of one another. Neither felt the need to say that one night of repeated lovemaking would change anything. They understood what had happened and why.

Resting against the headboard and with the covers pulled up to her chest, Helen cracked "I don't think last night was what Henry had in mind when he called you" as he slid out of the bed.

"I dare say not," he laughed and bent over to retrieve his pants. As he stood back up he heard a loud gasp followed by a muffled thump as she struck her head against the wooden headboard. Turning, he found her sitting upright and pointing at him.

"What's that on your backside?" she demanded with wide eyes.

"I beg your pardon?" he said with furrowed brows.

Leaning forward, she unintentionally allowed the covers to fall down to her waist and growled, "At the base of your back. Above your left buttocks. What is that design?"

"My tattoo?" he asked with a confused look. "What about it?"

"Where did you get it?" she continued.

The morning sun was beaming through the window to highlight the peaks and valleys of her perfect body and his eyes zeroed in on her buxom bare chest. Turned on, he stepped back up to the bed and leaned down to kiss her.

The slap he received was unexpected. Rearing back in shock, his hand cupped his bruised cheek and he glared at her. "What the hell was that for?"

"The tattoo," she barked back and glowered at him. "That's a cheap shot, even for you, John. Who told you? James? Henry? Will?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" he growled back. "I got the tattoo several months ago after I was freed from the energy elemental."

Crossing her arms across her chest she continued to glare at him suspiciously. "Oh, and I suppose it was just a coincidence that Henry happened to mention the symbol we were looking for is the very one on your backside!"

"Mr. Foss never mentioned any symbol during our brief conversation," John hotly denied and began redressing. "I don't know what you're rambling on about, woman. The only thing he told me was that there was an incident with an empath and that you all thought it was Ashley trying to communicate with you. He said you were in trouble and asked that I come. That's all!"

She observed his anger at her accusation and realized that he hadn't a clue what she was talking about. "He didn't say anything else?"

"Ask him yourself," he shot back and leaned over to grab at his crumpled shirt. Their romantic interlude had fizzled harshly and they were back at each other's throats. The best thing to do was leave as quickly as possible before they went for each other's jugulars he sadly thought as he pulled on his shirt and began to button it up.

He froze as her hand shot out and grabbed his wrist. "Wait," she said anxiously, as if she could read his mind. "Please. I need to know about the tattoo. What does it mean?"

Pulling his hand out of her grasp he stared down at her with a frown. For some inexplicable reason the tattoo was of importance to her. "The tattoo is of a stylized phoenix. The characters below are in ancient Khmer and mean "rebirth" because… well, you can make the connection, I'm sure" he explained with a shrug.

"A phoenix is reborn from the ashes," Helen muttered to herself in a dazed tone and then asked, "And where did you initially see this design? Was it in a book? A temple mural?" Her heart quickened its pace as hope reared its head again. They still had until midnight to discover what renew ritual.

"Neither. It was… somewhere else," he answered vaguely and looked away.

"John," she insisted and stared at him until he caved.

He blew out a loud breath. "If you must know, I saw it in a dream, okay." At the incredulous look she threw his way he sighed and threw up his hands. "I know that sounds insane but it's true. I swear."

Pushing the covers aside, she climbed out of bed and came to stand before him. "Where were you when you had the dream?" she asked with sudden inkling what his answer would be.

"I might have… fallen asleep in the chapel during James and your chattering on about the some ceremony you were going to host there," he muttered with a roll of his eyes. At the odd look she gave him he huffed out a harsh breath. "You know I'm not religious. And frankly your conversation was a snooze."

"So we both were visited by Ashley in the chapel?"

"I never saw or heard Ashley. Just images of the symbol which I later had tattooed on my lower left back." He saw the desperation in her eyes and cupped her cheek to tilt her face up to his. "I don't know what happened in the chapel and whether that was actually Ashley or not. What I do know is that our daughter is dead. And she wouldn't want you to suffer any more. Let her go, Luv."

"I don't want to," she whispered.

He sighed. She was so stubborn when she wanted to be. "I would tear the world apart if it meant I could bring our daughter back again. You know I wanted nothing more than to have a family with you."

Her answer was to close her eyes and press her cheek further into his warm touch. Time seemed to stand still for a long time until they heard someone entering the room.

"Magnus, there you are," Henry greeted as he walked through the door and immediately squealed "Whoa! Oh my God!" and quickly turn his back on the scene. The door had been cracked open and the last thing he would have expected was to walk in on his boss standing butt naked in a romantic entanglement with her psycho ex-finance.

Helen and John both chuckled at the young man's embarrassment. Reaching behind her, she yanked the coverlet off the bed and wrapped it around her. "Mr. Foss," John greeted and finished buttoning up his shirt.

"Uh, I see you're busy. "I can come back," Henry stuttered as he tried to erase the image of Magnus's bare backside from his memory. Nope, not working he groaned. What he needed was mind bleach and no such thing existed.

"It's alright, Henry," Helen assured the skittish lad.

"No, no it's not alright," Henry quipped with a sharp shake of his shaggy head. "I may never be alright again," he muttered to himself.

"Oh, you'll be fine," John said as he clapped a large hand on the boy's shoulder. Leaning in, he joked "You only got a glimpse of her backside. You get to live. However, if you'd seen the other side I'd have to kill you." He laughed as the lad jumped and gave him a wide eyed terrified look.

"Ignore him, Henry," Helen commanded with a roll of her eyes. "He's just teasing you."

"Teasing," John repeated with a grin and squeezed Henry's shoulder one more time before leaving the room.

"I didn't see anything!" he squeaked as she came to stand beside him and his eyes wandered around everywhere except her face.

"It's alright, Henry," she assured again and leaned in to give him a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you for calling John." With that, she strolled down the hall to her bedroom clad only in a blue coverlet.

"That wasn't what I had in mind when I called him," Henry grumbled with a shake of his fist as he walked the other way.

Helen was jarred out of her reflection when warm lips brushed against her neck before beginning to ply soft kisses. "Oh, Andre," she murmured.

"What!" John growled as he sat back and glared at her. Her musical laugh and twinkle in her eye let him know that she was perfectly aware it had been him. "That is not amusing."

She laughed again and curled up against him. "It was rather amusing," she purred.

"Humph," he grunted as his left arm circled her waist and came to rest on her stomach. "And what may I ask are you doing sitting here alone in a dark corner with your eyes closed and a little smile on your lovely face, hmmm? Dreaming of your Andre?"

She laughed again. "Not quite."

"Then what?"

Turning her head she gave him a soft kiss on the cheek. "I was remembering the events that lead up to the night we made our daughter."

He grinned and gave her an affectionate squeeze. "Which time?"

"Second."

"That night was good," he reflected, "but I think the first time was better. There was no melancholy or tears on your part then. Just laughter and pure unadulterated passion."

"True… and I shall always cherish that time. The second time, however, was special because it brought about an answer to a prayer so long ago pleaded."

"She is our little miracle, isn't she?"

"The best miracle of all," she said with a happy sigh.

"Let's make another one," he suddenly whispered in her ear, causing her to turn and give him a long look. "I'm game if you are."

"Okay," she whispered back.

"Really?" he asked in surprise. He had expected her to say over his dead body or when Hell froze over and certainly not to agree so easily. She was probably just in a playful mood and teasing him. Giving her earlobe a nip, he murmured, "When would you like to get started?"

"Why not right now?" she purred back and slid her hand slowly down his thigh to come to a rest near his crotch.

"What are you doing here in the dark?" a little voice quipped, causing the two to jump. Looking up, they beheld their daughter standing in front of them and holding a cup of hot chocolate. The thin white line of whipped cream was smeared above the left side of her upper lip and her cheeks were flushed pink.

"Oh, mummy and I were just watching you enjoy your multiple rides on the merry go round," John explained as he tried to inconspicuously remove Helen's hand from his thigh by clasping it and lifting it to his lips to give it a quick kiss. "You seemed to be having a lot of fun riding that seahorse."

"I did!" Ashley giggled as she squeezed herself between her parents onto the bench. "We should totally buy a merry go round for the Sanctuary." She looked up at her mother hopefully. "Can you make sure it has a seahorse too? I love the seahorse!"

"We are not buying a merry go round," her mother shot down with a laugh.

"But everyone would have a lot of fun riding on it," Ashley continued. "Henry would ride it with me all the time and I bet even the Big Guy would ride with me." She cast a sly smile at her father. "You and mummy could even ride in the swan and pretend you're going into in the tunnel of love."

"Nice try," Helen laughed.

"Who told you about the tunnel of love," John demanded with a frown.

"Everybody knows about the tunnel of love," Ashley said with a roll of her eyes. "It's where you go when you fall in love. Henry took Erika there just like Pepe Le Pew did with his girlfriend."

"Pepe Le Pew," John snorted. "You mean the cartoon skunk?"

"Uh huh," Ashley nodded. "He really loves his girlfriend the cat. Do you love mommy?" she asked her father as she snuggled against him.

"Very much," he answered. "Possibly as much as the skunk loves his girl," he said with a wink at Helen.

"Gee, aren't I the lucky one?" Helen quipped back.

"Very," John quipped back as he took his daughter's cup of cocoa and took a sip.

"You could propose to mommy like Henry did to Erika if you go through the tunnel of love," Ashley slyly suggested and giggled as he spit out a mouthful of hot chocolate.

Reaching around to whack John on the back as he continued to cough, Helen redirected the conversation away from the touchy subject of her old broken engagement. "Your father has already proposed, once upon a time. It didn't work out. Let's move on to something productive. Are you ready to go home?"

"What? No way!" Ashley cried and jumped out of her seat. "It's still early! I don't wanna go home. Please, please, please!"

Pleased her diversion tactic worked, Helen stood up and nodded. "I suppose we could do one last fun activity. We still haven't done the games arcade yet, have we?"

"No, I don't believe we have," John answered hoarsely as he stood and tossed the cup into a nearby trashcan. "Shall we?" he said and held out his hand to his excited child.

Taking each of her parents' hands, Ashley squealed "I want a stuffed animal! The biggest one they have!"

"We'll see what we can do," her mother promised with a laugh as the trio walked toward the path leading to the arcade.


	19. Of Unicorns and Babies Part 1

Author's Note: Sorry this update has been so long in coming. Got caught up in writing Tempest.

Chapter 19: Of Unicorns and Babies Part 1

Sally had been floating on her back lazily swaying softly from side to side as she was lulled into a light nap from the warmth of the water and the familiar humming of the tank's sophisticated filtration system. A pleasant dream of playing a game of tag among the coral reef with her beloved was flittering through her mind and a little smile graced her elegant face. Eventually, the corners of her eyes crinkled as faint sounds penetrated her head and interrupted her sweet dream. The noises grew louder and the agitated mermaid groaned and rolled slowly onto her side toward the irritating source of intrusion.

As it got close to her enclosure the mermaid's annoyance disappeared as enlightenment descended. Opening her eyes, she turned into an upright position and floated out of her cave toward the glass front that gave a clear view of the Sanctuary rotunda. A little two headed figure was rushing toward her, followed by two taller, slower moving figures. Their features sharpened as they got closer and the mermaid could feel the child's excitement as she skidded to a stop before the wall of glass.

Slapping one hand up onto the cool glass Ashley bounced up and down on her feet as she waited for Sally to touch the glass and acknowledge her.

"Hello, little one," the green eyed mermaid greeted and smiled. "Who is your friend?"

Ashley proudly held up her prize with both hands, realized she couldn't hear Sally since she'd removed her hand, gave a loud squeak and quickly replaced her palm to the glass. "This is Ariel," the child gushed and pressed the stuffed toy's face against the glass for Sally to inspect. "She's a mermaid! Uncle James won her for me in the zoo's arcade. Well, other people helped by winning a bunch of the game tickets but Uncle James won the most so I could get her. What do you think? Isn't she pretty?"

"She's lovely," the mermaid laughed. "Now perhaps you can have your wish to swim with a mermaid."

The child shook her head. "Mommy says Ariel shouldn't go into the water too much. She'll shrivel up."

"Oh," Sally laughed again. "Well then, you'll just have to work on holding your breath in the water to come swim with me."

"Okay," Ashley said with a loud yawn. Today had been the best day ever and she was fighting off the exhaustion that pulled at her. She didn't want the day to end just yet and had insisted to her parents that she had to show Ariel to Sally before they put her to bed.

Sally looked up as Helen placed her hand to the glass and greeted her. "She let out a loud scream when she saw the toy in the arcade and declared we had to win it for her so that she could have her very own mermaid to sleep with at night. James spent a small fortune winning the tickets for the top prize at the arcade. I thought the attendant behind the counter was going to faint when he was presented with the massive pile of tickets that added up to the necessary 10,000 points."

"Top prize? That would explain why the toy is almost as big as she is," the mermaid observed.

"Indeed," Helen agreed. "Perhaps she'll actually sleep in her own bed and remain there now that she has a playmate her own size."

Tilting her head, the mermaid stared hard at the woman on the other side of the glass. Her mate was standing quietly behind the child alternating between watching the child and her. The mermaid could feel his mellow mood and pride as he looked affectionately at his young offspring. "You're with child again," Sally suddenly stated, causing the surprised doctor's eyes to go wide.

"How did you..?" Helen gasped aloud then clamped her mouth shut as Ashley and John looked at her in concern. She plastered a fake smile on her face for them before looking back at the smug mermaid. "Yes," she admitted telepathically to Sally. "I haven't told anyone yet so please don't say anything."

The mermaid nodded and her long dark locks swirled in the water giving her an ethereal look as the back lighting highlighted her figure. "Congratulations," she pleasantly replied. "I presume this is a good thing?"

It was Helen's turn to nod. "A much unexpected surprise."

"Ashley will be thrilled to have an actual live playmate of her own age," Sally said. "Two little ones running around in the Sanctuary. Been a long time since that happened. Henry and Ashley were quite the little trouble makers in their day."

Helen grinned. "Yes they were. And the Sanctuary will be home to four little ones within six months time. Henry's twins are due in four months and Erika is moving in with us full-time next week after she finalizes the sale of her home in England. This place is going to be overflowing with diapers, crying babies and exhausted parents." The two laughed.

Following another loud yawn from Ashley, Helen consented to John's suggestion that they get their daughter to bed. As the family strolled away with the big man carry the child and her mother carrying the equally large stuffed toy, Sally floated back to her cave and mused, "Four mischievous little humans running loose in the Sanctuary. The good Doctor Magnus is going to have her hands quite full."

Ten minutes later Helen had Ashley in her pajamas, her teeth brushed and ready for bed. The sleepy eyed girl crawled into her bed without making a fuss about not getting to sleep in her parent's bed and tightly hugged her new best friend against her. "Read me a story," she begged with a long yawn.

Pulling off his jacket, John dropped it at the foot of his daughter's bed and reached for a book from the stuffed bookshelf in the corner. He froze as he heard "I want The Velveteen Rabbit, daddy," and dropped his shoulders with a sigh. He was getting rather tired of The Velveteen Rabbit. His suggestion of another book never left his lips as he looked into Ashley's pleading blue eyes which stared up at him from behind the head of her new toy. Giving her a smile he reached for the much thumbed through book lying on the nightstand and turned to the first page. "There once was a velveteen rabbit, and in the beginning he was really splendid. He was fat and bunchy, as a rabbit should be…" he said without even looking at the page. He knew the words already by heart. Instead his focused on the beautiful face of his only child and how she happy she looked snuggled down under the covers with Ariel.

Standing in the shadows, Helen looked on as John read to their child and felt her throat tighten. Moments like this were so precious and she cherished them and burned them into her memory whenever she could. Halfway through the reading she quietly left the room and wiped away the tears that threatened at the corners of her eyes. Darn baby hormones.

Closing the book, John finished saying the last paragraph of Ashley's favorite story and then silently continued to stare at his sleeping offspring. She had closed her eyes before he's even reached the middle of the story. Her golden hair was splayed around her head like a halo and her long, dark lashes fluttered against her cheek as she breathed evenly in and out. This perfect little creature would never fail to amaze him. She was temperamental, high energy, stubborn, clever, spunky, cheerful, and her laughter was infectious. He couldn't imagine his daughter being anything else.

Ashley shifted in her sleep and gave a peaceful sigh as she buried her nose into the side of mermaid's head. Leaning down, John kissed her forehead. "Sleep well, my pet," he softly whispered and turned off the lamp on the nightstand. A nightlight in the shape of a pony gently bathed the right side of the room in a calming blue light.

As he pulled the blanket up to cover her shoulder an old memory slammed into him and he gave a little chuckle. He had been sleeping on his stomach with his head turned to the left side. His torso was bare save for the large bandages that Helen had plastered over the wounds her latest beastie had given him during its recapture in the lower levels of the Sanctuary. Will had also received several scratches but nothing as extreme as the deep ones Druitt had received. Having been dosed with heavy medication John had fallen into a deep slumber and had lost track of time.

Giving a low grunt as he slowly awoke, he became aware of a heavy weight upon the lower half of his body. Twisting his head to see around him he tried to lift up the upper part of his body and groaned loudly as a dull pain throbbed through his body. Feeling the weight on his backside shift again he stopped cringing from pain to see what was behind him. His eyes widened at the sight of his four year old daughter peering at him with a grin on her bright face.

"Hi, daddy!" Ashley greeted. The straight bangs across her forehead and pair of side pigtails framed her oval face. She was wearing a short sleeved blue top and judging from the one leg he could see she had matching blue leggings on as well.

"What time is it?" he moaned and tried to focus his blurry eyes on the clock on the bedside table. It said 9:15. AM or PM? he wondered as he glanced over at the drawn curtains.

"I don't know," Ashley shrugged and went back to what she was doing. John felt her moving on his backside and felt movement along the lower part of his back. If he didn't know better he'd swear she was scribbling on him.

"What are you doing?" he asked gruffly and swiped at his face with his left hand. His head was pounding dully and his mouth was dry.

"I could ask the same thing," a familiar voice called out. A moment later she came around the side of the bed and gave a loud gasp. "Ashley Magnus! What do you think you're doing?"

"Druitt," he grumbled and gave her a sour look.

"What?" Helen said as she looked down at him briefly before turning her attention back to their naughty child who was holding colored markers in each hand.

"Her name is Ashley Druitt-Magnus," John insisted. "You left out the Druitt part!"

Rolling her eyes she ignored his complaint and crossed her arms. "I asked you what you are doing, young lady!"

Unconcerned by her mother's stern tone, Ashley flashed a dimpled smile and said, "Hi, mommy. I'm coloring. Isn't it pretty?"

"Coloring," her parents repeated in unison.

"Uh huh," Ashley said and pressed the red marker down to finish off a flower.

"You're coloring on my back?" her confused father asked. That would explain why she was seated on his backside and he felt random movements now and then on his back. "Why?"

"Your birdie was lonely," the child explained and went to use the green marker on his back only to have her mother snatch it and the other marker out of her hands. "Hey!" she protested, "I'm not finished!"

"Oh yes you are," her mother reprimanded and sighed as she took in her child's masterpiece on the lower half of John's back. Beside his Phoenix tattoo Ashley had scribbled something that looked like an animal with three ears, a few flowers and had awkwardly written her name underneath it, probably to mirror the ancient Khmer lettering under the bird tattoo. Intrigued, she couldn't help but ask "What is this?" as she pointed to the animal.

"It's a unicorn," Ashley answered.

"And the reason you drew a unicorn on your father's back was because…" her mother prompted her.

"I want a unicorn," Ashley explained as if it were perfectly natural.

"I don't get it," her father said. "Why would drawing a unicorn on my back get you a unicorn?"

Looking up at her mom, Ashley replied earnestly, "I heard Henry tell Erika that a long time ago you were sad and wished really hard for me. Then daddy came here and spent the night and the next day you found the bird tattoo on his back and your wish came true and I was born nine months later. So I drew a unicorn on daddy's back next to his tattoo and in nine months I'll get a unicorn." She gave a nod of her head at her flabbergast parent and demanded her green marker back. "I have to give Penny some eyes," Ashley insisted.

"Let me guess," John dryly remarked as he stared over his shoulder at his daughter. His neck was getting crimped and he was resisting the urge to turn over and dump her off him. The lower half of his body was tingling as the weight of his daughter was putting his legs to sleep. "Penny's the unicorn."

"That's right," she beamed and held out her little hand to her mother.

John snorted. "That's pure Magnus speaking," he sarcastically drawled. "Only your side of the family would dream something like that up."

"Whereas only someone from the Druitt side of the family would think to pin someone down by sitting on them and put their mark on them," Helen retorted back in annoyance and motioned for Ashley to get off her father.

"But I have to put eyes on Penny," Ashley whined and stuck out her bottom lip stubbornly. "She can't see without eyes!"

"Oh, good Lord," Helen sighed and handed her the marker, causing the injured man to raise an eyebrow at her in surprise. "The unicorn needs eyes," she shrugged and he felt the marker poke him on the back twice as the child drew eyes on her creation. "Don't forget the eyelashes," her mother suggested and bit the corner of her mouth to suppress a giggle as Ashley added long streaks to the circles to denote eyelashes.

"What, no lipstick?" John grumbled and shook his head at the mother of his errant child. She was as naughty as their four year old.

"Oh, yeah, I forgot the lipstick," Ashley giggled and took the red marker from her mother's other hand to draw on big lips on her blue unicorn. Losing her composure, Helen laughed aloud and grabbed her daughter's head to ply kisses on her chubby cheeks. One thing her child was not was ever boring.

"If you're through graffiting my back I would like to turn over," John stated with a sigh. "My legs are asleep."

"Come on," Helen commanded. "It's time for you to have your lunch and I need to inspect your father's bandages."

"What's for lunch?" the child asked seriously as she swung her leg over and climbed off her father to sit down on the bed beside to him. "I want cheese pizza."

"You'll just have to go downstairs and find out," her mother answered and motioned with her finger for her to leave the room.

"Okay, but if it's baked fish and a salad again I'm not eating it," Ashley fussed with a wrinkle of her nose. "The Big Guy keeps trying to get us all to eat fish. Yuck!" With a big smack on her father's right buttocks that caused him to jump and Helen to laugh again, Ashley squealed "Bye, daddy! Don't forget to bring me my unicorn in nine months" and quickly climbed off the bed to rush out the door before he could get up to catch her.

The two adults stared at one another and shook their heads. "Did she ever do anything like this to you the first go round?" he queried.

"No, just to you, dear. Karma's a bitch," she retorted with a giggle and leaned down to kiss his cheek.

"Lucky me," he grumbled as she helped him sit upright and set about checking how well he was healing.

"So, how bad is it?" he asked as he tried to see his back in the dresser mirror across the room.

Pulling out the iPhone in her pocket she said, "I'll take a picture of it for you. Our daughter is quite the creative little artist. I've never seen a fat blue unicorn with three horns, green eyes and big red lips before." She giggled again as she snapped several pictures.

"You just want to take a picture to show the others," he accused and looked over his shoulder to find her smirking at him.

"Now, darling, whatever would give you that idea?" she smugly asked and winked at him as she pocketed the camera. Nikola and James were going to get a big kick out of seeing photos of John with Ashley's scribbles on him.

John was roused out of his recollection when Ashley gave a little murmur and shifted in her sleep. He had no idea how long he'd been sitting there looking at her sleeping and dreaming about the day she'd used her markers on him. Leaning down he gave her one last kiss, retrieve his coat and quietly left the room. As he reached for the door knob to his bedroom he wondered where his lover had wandered off to.

He got his answer as he stepped through the doorway and found her lying in bed on her side as if she were waiting for him. The covers were pulled up to her chin, which was resting on her left hand. Her right hand was curled around the top of the covers. "It's taken you long enough to put our daughter to sleep. I was beginning to think I was going to have to start on my own," she purred and gave him a feline smile.


	20. Of Unicorns and Babies Part 2

Author's Note: This chapter has a little adult content so proceed at your own risk.

Chapter 20: Of Unicorns and Babies Part 2

He got his answer as he stepped through the doorway and found her lying in bed on her side as if she were waiting for him. The covers were pulled up to her chin, which was resting on her left hand. Her right hand was curled around the top of the covers. "It's taken you long enough to put our daughter to sleep. I was beginning to think I was going to have to start on my own," she purred and gave him a feline smile.

"I lost track of time," he replied and felt the corners of his mouth turn up in a grin. His evening was about to get even better and he began to stalk toward her when she held up her right hand to halt him.

"Lock the door," she instructed. "I'd rather not have a repeat of waking up to find our daughter trying to crawl into bed with us and asking why we had no pajamas on."

Chuckling, he turned and secured the door. "Hopefully her new little friend will encourage her to stay in her own bed from now on."

"Don't count on it," she warned. "It's more likely we'll have two interlopers in our bed instead of one."

Tossing his jacked onto the chair by the fireplace he lazily strolled up to the bed and smiled down at her predatorily. Her hair was loose and curled around her flawless face and for the millionth time he was stuck by her beautiful. "You are the most beautiful thing I've ever laid eyes on," he confessed softly. "Even after all this time you still take my breath away."

Touched, her eyes softened and she gave him a sweet self-conscious smile. "Thank you." Her smile turned into a coy one and she batted her dark lashes at him as she motioned at his body with her finger. "You're wearing an awful lot of clothing," she assessed. "How about you take them off?"

"How about I take your clothes off first?" he volleyed back. "Or are you already naked under those covers?"

Tossing back the covers with her right hand she smirked at him as his mouth dropped open as he took in the sight of her curvaceous figure clad only in a short, ice blue negligee with matching panties. A delicate pearl snowflake glowed between where the two halves of the skimpy top of her outfit met and her buxom chest was barely encased by the delicate, thin blue lace. For a long moment he could do nothing but stare at her like a starving wolf looking at his next meal and she finally broke the spell by pressing her foot against his crotch and eliciting a loud moan from the obviously aroused man. Grabbing her foot, he lifted it up to his mouth and kissed it.

"Uh uh," she reprimanded and withdrew her foot to tuck it underneath her as she sat upright in the center of the bed. "No touching until you strip."

Grinning, he began undoing his tie and tossed it in the vicinity of the chair. As he began unbuttoning his shirt he asked if she was going to do the same for him. "That's up to you," she teased back. She wasn't surprised when his eyes zeroed back on her chest and he hoarsely declared he would help her out of her clothing.

Dropping his shirt to the floor he moved his hands to his waist of his pants and worked it free. "That's new," he said in reference to her negligee. "To what do I owe the honor of this spectacular little number?"

"I was saving it for a rainy day," she answered and reached for his boxers only to have her hands pushed away.

"No touching until the clothes are off," he smugly reminded her. "Patience, woman. And you haven't answered my question."

She laughed and made herself comfortable reclining back on the bed. "Earlier tonight at the zoo you said we should make another child. I thought this outfit might give us both incentive to give it a good old English try… or two… or three." She raised an eyebrow at him as he discarded the last of his clothing. "And from this angle it appears that you are appropriately enticed."

Placing both hands onto the bed he slowly crawled onto the bed towards her. "Let me show you just how appropriately enticed I am," he growled and leaned down over her.

Wrapping her arms around his neck she pulled him to her. "Please do," she demanded and gave him a passionate kiss.

A soft ray of sunlight awoke him early the next morning. Yawning, he stretched his long limbs and turned to find her curled up on her side and staring at him. Her dark hair was wet and pinned up on her head and she was wearing her white robe. "Good morning," she murmured and gave him a little smile. "Sleep well?"

"Very," he said and reached up to tuck one of the loose curls around her face behind her ear. "You?"

"A most satisfactory night," she answered back and ran her left hand down the side of his face.

"What time is it?" he asked with another yawn. Judging by the light coming through the narrow part in the curtains the hour was very early.

"6:30 am," she said and laughed as he groaned and wondered aloud why she was up so early. "I wanted to get up and have a little peace and quiet before our daughter wakes up and goes into overdrive because it's her birthday."

He groaned. "Oh God, I forgot about that." He looked over at the door as if expecting Ashley to come bursting through. "How much time do you think we have?"

"Enough for you to put your pants on," she snickered and reached over to pull open the drawer of her nightstand. "And enough time for me to present you with this," she said softly as she took his hand with her right hand and placed a pair of soft objects on it with her left hand.

He squinted at the items and then looked at her questioningly. She gave him a self-conscious little smile and waited for him to say something. He pulled his hand closer to his face and inspected the pair of tiny, white knitted socks. "These socks, while lovely, are a wee bit small for the likes of me, don't you think Luv? I don't think even Ashley's new doll could fit these."

"They're not socks," she corrected. "They're booties."

"They still won't fit," he snorted and stopped as he saw the serious expression on her face.

"They're baby booties," she explained softly. "They're for a baby." The way she was looking at him was almost anxious, as if she were waiting for his reaction to her explanation and not entirely sure how he was going to respond.

Surprised, he stared at her and then at the booties. "Luv, I know you can be overly optimistic at times but don't you think you're rushing things a bit? We just had sex last night. It could be a while before you get pregnant, assuming that's even possible given our advanced age."

She gave a sigh and tapped him on the nose with one finger. "Montague John Druitt, you have a degree from Oxford University and you seriously do not know what it means when your lover presents you with a pair of baby booties?"

His forehead creased and he felt the tiny objects with his other hand as if to confirm they were really in his palm. Surely she wasn't saying what he thought she was saying. He looked back at her and found her staring at him in amusement.

Sitting up, she turned to face him and picked up one bootie with each hand. "A woman presents her lover with a pair of baby booties when she wants him to know that she is expecting their child," she calmly explained. "In less than six months time we will have another little one under this roof. Our family of three will become a family of four. Well, five plus if you add in Henry and his new family."

She waited patiently as he blinked repeatedly and his mouth opened and closed twice like a fish. She really had left him speechless… which was exactly how he had reacted when she had informed him that she was pregnant with Ashley almost eight years earlier.

"Are you… are you sure?" he croaked. He had been joking last night about having another child. He never actually thought they could produce another one.

"The morning sickness I've felt over the past two months tells me yes," she cracked and almost toppled over backwards when he suddenly bolted upright before her.

"We're going to have another child?" he asked as he leaned forward to look into her eyes. At her nod a big lopsided grin spread across his broad face. "And you've know this for three months and haven't told me… again?" he surmised.

"The first trimester is always best handled cautiously," she answered, "as I informed you the first time."

"And last night was…" he prompted.

She giggled. "A very good night." Wrapping her arms around his neck she gave him a dimpled smile. "I was feeling good and you did say you wanted to make another baby so a night of hot sex seemed like a good idea at the time."

"A very good idea," he agreed and pulled her up against him. "Although I would have been a little more gentle had I known you were with child."

"I know you would have," she said and kissed him. They hadn't been together as a couple when she'd discovered she was pregnant with Ashley and by the time they'd gotten around to having intercourse again she'd been five months pregnant and, to her annoyance, he kept trying to treat her as if she were a delicate piece of glass.

He pulled back unexpectedly. "Hang on. This means you were pregnant when we were back in Old London. If Tesla and I hadn't come to retrieve you then you and our child would have been… I would have lost you both and never have gotten to know him or her…" He stopped talking and glanced down at her stomach where their latest offspring was thriving and swallowed hard as he was hit with the realization of how close he'd come to almost losing the bulk of his family.

"But you did come and we got home safe and sound. We're okay," she tried to reassure him. "Don't think about that. Focus on the here and now."

"The here and now is amazing. More than I could ever hope for," he whispered and leaned in for another kiss. He would never tire of kissing her honeyed lips. They froze as the morning silence was interrupted by the sound of someone turning the doorknob to their bedroom. As one, they turned their faces toward the door to hear the knob being twisted back and forth loudly. Then came the knocking on the heavy wood door followed by "Mommy? Mommy!"

"Our daughter has lousy timing," John grumbled and dropped his head onto her shoulder where he had access to her neck and gave her a kiss. There were two more pounds on the door and cries of "Mommy! Daddy!" before the knob began twisting again and a loud kick on the door pierced the room. "Let me in!"

"Just a moment!" Helen called out to their impatient child. To John she reminded "Your pants!" and scooted off the bed to open the door before Ashley could do any actual damage. She'd unlocked the door and swung it in just as Ashley went to kick it a second time. Stumbling forward, the child fell into her mother's waist, causing Helen to gasp in surprise, and dropped her doll onto the floor. "Honestly, young lady, there is no need for such a racket."

Picking up her stuffed mermaid Ashley gave her mother a grumpy face. "Why did you lock the door? I don't like it when you lock the door."

Helen sat down on a nearby comfy wingchair and picked up her hairbrush on the side table to begin coming out the tangles of her wet hair. "Sometimes adults want to have a little privacy and need to lock their door."

Ashley sat down on the matching ottoman and stared up at her mother with a frown. "Why do adults need privacy?"

Pausing, the brunette smiled down at the curious child who looked back up at her with big blue eyes framed by thick dark lashes. She and John did make beautiful babies she thought proudly. "Sometimes adults just want to talk about adult things and be alone."

Ashley scrunched up her little face in confusion. "So you and daddy lock the door to talk?"

"Among other things," Helen vaguely answered and leaned forward to begin combing Ashley's messy bed hair.

"What other things?" Ashley pressed and pouted as her mother worked on detangling her long golden locks.

"I know today is a very special day," John interrupted from the doorway of the adjoining en suite. He'd teleported there earlier to get dressed before the child could discover him without his clothing again. Tapping at his temple absently, the big man pondered aloud, "But for the life of me I can't recall why." Giving her a smile he said, "I don't suppose you would know why today is so special, hmmm?"

Ashley rolled her eyes at her goofy father. "You know why today is special, daddy. It's my birthday!"

"Your birthday?" he gasped exaggeratedly and picked her up. "Today is your birthday? Are you sure? Maybe it's my birthday," he teased and laughed as she shook her head at his silliness.

"It's not your birthday today, daddy, it's mine. I'm seven today."

"Seven years old," he repeated. "You're officially a big girl now."

"Uh huh," she agreed and pinched his cheek. "But I'm still going to sleep with you and mommy forever," she proclaimed and giggled as her parents loudly groaned. "Me and Ariel."

"We're going to have to get a bigger bed," John sulked.


	21. Echoes of the Past Part 1

Chapter 21: Echoes of the Past Part 1

Kate had nearly made it to her room when she heard the muffled screams from the opposite end of the hall. Pivoting on her heeled boots she raced toward the sound. She had a pretty good idea what it was and her heartbeat quickened as did her pace. The screaming got louder as she approached and she threw the door open and flipped on the light. Ashley was thrashing in her bed with her eyes closed and screaming at the top of her lungs.

Sitting down on the bed, Kate tried to rouse the upset girl from her night terror by calling out her name and trying to shake her awake. "What's going on?" a deep voice called out from behind her. "I heard her screaming on my way to my room and I can't wake her," Kate told the Sasquatch as he came up next to her. Kate had grabbed hold of the child arms to prevent from being hit but she couldn't dodge the little knee that crashed into her abdomen. Crying out in agony Kate fell off the bed onto the floor and clutched at her stomach while trying to catch her breath again.

In four strides the big man crossed back to the bedroom door and pressed a button on the intercom behind the door. "Magnus, get up here!" he barked into the intercom over the child's screams. "Ashley's having another nightmare!" He had just made it back to the bed to help Kate up when John and Helen reappeared at the foot of the bed.

"What happened?" Helen demanded as she moved past the pair to sit down on the bed. John approached the bed from the other side and grabbed hold of his daughter's legs while her mother grabbed her flailing arms.

"Kate heard the screams and tried to rouse her only to receive a kick in the stomach," her Old Friend explained as he held the huffing young woman upright.

"Not stomach," Kate corrected in short gasps. "Rib cage." Her cry of pain at the Sasquatch's touch on her side caused him to gruffly suggest that she might have a bruised rib or two. "I'm taking her down for an ex-ray," he declared and lead her out of the room despite her protests that she'd be okay once she was able to breathe normally again.

"Ashley, wake up," Helen called out worriedly. She had Ashley's hands grasped tight in one of hers and was stroking Ashley's face with her other hand.

"No!" Ashley cried again and continued to toss her head back and forth, though less forcefully now. Sweat was dripping down the sides of her face, which had gone pale, and evidence of tears was shining on her cheeks and chin. "Stop it! I want to go home! Mommy! Mommy!" She gave out another blood curdling scream.

"Bloody hell," John growled helplessly. "For God sake's Helen wake her up!"

"I'm trying," she growled back and let go of Ashley's hand to grab her small face with both hands and pull her forward into her arms. Clamping her arms tightly around her small body Helen began to rock her while repeatedly calling out her name. "Baby, wake up. Please," she pleaded and felt close to tears herself. Ashley hadn't had any night terrors for several months now and her parents had begun to believe that they were gone for good. They had started when Ashley was two and the particularly violent ones had terrified her parents.

Feeling Ashley slump into her she knew the child had finally awoken from the nightmare. Her screams had been replaced with sniffles and pitiful whimpers as Ashley became aware of her surroundings. "Mommy," she wailed lowly against her mother's chest.

"It's alright, baby," Helen answered and scooped her up into her lap. She kept Ashley tightly wrapped in her arms and continued to rock her while the exhausted child calmed down. Feeling the bed sink down further she looked up at John, who was sitting slumped against the wall at the head of the bed and staring at them equally pale faced. This had been one of the worst night terrors they had experienced to date. The two stared at one another, both thinking the same thought. When, if ever, were these night terrors going to end. Would Ashley never be free from her terrible memories of the Cabal?

After a while Ashley lifted her tired head to inform her mother that she was hot. Her clothing was sticky in the back and she felt rather grimy. Helen brushed the child's bangs back and gave her a reassuring smile. "How about your father getting you some cocoa and cookies while we clean up, hmm?" Ashley gave a little nod and was then hoisted up onto her mother's hip as she stood up and walked them over to the dresser from which Helen withdrew a clean nightgown and underwear. John watched in silence as the pair left the room, closed his eyes with a deep sigh, and forced himself to get up and head downstairs for the requested refreshments.

On the way to the kitchen he passed the doorway of the living room and was hailed by Henry. Entering the room he found Mr. Foss, Tesla and Helen's protégé Will looking at him expectantly. "Is Ashley alright?" the worried HAP inquired.

John nodded. "Helen's taking care of her. I've been tasked with getting the cocoa and cookies."

"What brought the nightmare on?" Will inquired with a creased forehead. "She's been doing so well. It's been months since the last one." Will had been working quietly with the child over the past three years with full consent of her parents. They were no nearer to discovering what triggered Ashley's nightmares but they were lessening in frequency… at least until tonight.

Exhaling a harsh breathe, John raked his hand through his short black hair. "I don't know. We may never know what triggers these night terrors. The main thing is to wake her up before she can hurt herself."

Henry swiped a hand over his scruffy face. He was in need of a shave but had yet to get around to doing it. Erika would be arriving within the week to stay for good and he'd pull himself together before then. "You don't think it was the candles, do you? Maybe they were too much?" He and Tesla had rigged the candles on Ashley's cake to shoot off like rainbow colored sparklers and at the time the child had loved it. Looking back, though, Henry wondered if the changing colors on the candles had triggered a bad memory about the Cabal.

John gave the upset lad a firm pat on the back. "It was not your fault, Henry. Ashley loved your candles. She'll be okay." At Henry's doubtful look, John flashed a small, brief smile. "She's a tough cookie, like her mother. The only long term effect of this will be that Ashley continues to insist on sleeping in her parent's bed. Along with her new doll. We have got to get a bigger bed."

"Helen will never give up her favorite bed," a gruff voice chimed in from the doorway. The group turned towards the big figure entering. "It was won in a tight auction bid and she once declared she'd be buried in that bed upon her death."

"Guess you'll to get used to sleep on the floor or in another bedroom, Johnny boy," Nikola cheerfully toasted Druitt with a tip of his glass.

Rolling his eyes at the transparent vampire, the taller man asked the Sasquatch about Kate's condition and was relieved to learn there were no broken bones. He then bid the room's occupants goodnight. Tesla's words replayed in his head as he walked towards the kitchen and he wondered what they were going to do about the sleeping arrangements. With Helen expecting another child the last thing she needed was Ashley sleeping with them and accidently kicking her mother in the stomach. He himself wasn't too thrilled with the idea of being kicked in the groin again either.

When he rejoined his family back upstairs he found a freshly scrubbed and redressed Ashley resting in the middle of her parent's bed. Her mermaid doll was tucked under the covers beside her to the left. Helen, also in her night clothes, gave him a little smile as she took the tray from him and placed it across their daughter's lap. He lit the fireplace, paused to stare at his beautiful family huddled together on the bed, and went off into the bathroom to change into his night clothes in order to join them.

Ashley looked up at him with a thin chocolate moustache as he wedged himself into his side of the bed and pushed Ariel the mermaid over a bit to fit his large frame in the limited space. "Daddy, can you read to us?" she asked as she rubbed her bleary eyes with one hand. "Of course," he obliged, "but can we read something else beside the _Velveteen Rabbit_? How about _Where the Wild Things Are_ or _Llama Llama Red Pajamas_?"

"_Llama Llama_," Ashley decided with a loud yawn and snuggled down into the pillows as her father began to read one of her favorite books. Helen had put away the tray and resting against the headboard with Ashley curdled up against her side.

The child was asleep by the time her father reached the end of the short book. She was turned on her side with her face pressed against the mermaid's brown yarn hair. Laying the book on the nightstand, John turned to his left and ran a hand affectionately over his daughter's golden head. It was still a wonder to him that this little bundle of energy was the same person who years earlier had fought him off so expertly that he had developed a grudging admiration for the young woman he hardly knew. Glancing up, he found her mother staring at him with a far off look in her eye.

"What are you thinking about?" he softly asked and reached over to take her hand in his.

She gave him a wistful look and squeezed his hand. "I was remembering the night I told you I was pregnant with Ashley."

He gave a loud snort and withdrew his hand. "That was not a good night. It certainly wasn't a good way to tell a man you're carrying his child."

She gave a loud half sigh half yawn. All she wanted to do now was join Ashley in slumber. "I know. I'm sorry. I did the best I could understand those weird circumstances."

He frowned at her as she scooted down on the bed to lie down next to their daughter. "No, you did what was best for you."

She blinked up at him sleepily and acknowledged he was right. "It's done and in the past. Don't hold a grudge, John. I told you this time of my own free will without duress."

"You did," he solemnly agreed. He didn't reply to the part about not holding a grudge. He was still pissed about how he discovered she was carrying their daughter. He knew he should probably forgive her for hiding Ashley's existence from him… for the second time… but a part of him didn't want to do it. So he buried his anger on that point as best he could.

The strong wind rattled the old window panes of the bedroom and John turned back to his lover to make a remark about how the weather was similar to that night eight years ago when she was forced to confess her delicate condition only to find her fast asleep with her head next to their child's. Reaching over, he pulled the covers up over her shoulders and shifted down onto the bed so that he was also lying down on the bed. She'd passed out on him that night too, he mused.

Unable to sleep, he placed his hands behind his head and stared up at the ceiling where shadows from the fireplace danced erratically as if engaged in a duel with pointed swords. A flicker to the right. A flittering to the left before the shadows pulled in on themselves to move together. He could still recall the details of that night as if it were yesterday. Eight years ago his life changed in a way he could never have expected.


	22. Echoes of the Past Part 2

Chapter 22: Echoes of the Past Part 2

_John's flashback to the night he learned he was going to be a father, again…_

Eight years ago, Helen had called him at the last minute for help on a mission and reluctantly he had answered her by appearing beside her vehicle. The solemn group they made their way half a mile into the rocky jungle by foot when the vehicles could go no further. Strong late summer winds whipped around them, keeping the nasty mosquitoes that normally plagued travelers in these parts heavily bathed in bug spray. Helen explained as they went that the Sanctuary Network had gotten a tip that a rare abnormal had been sighted in the area. Supposedly it had murdered a dozen or so people, including children, and Helen wanted it captured to stop the killings.

However, when they arrive at the site where the creature was believed to be nesting the team could not get a lock on the creature. Shortly thereafter they were later ambushed by members of a local native tribe. The team had wrongly assumed the temple was vacated and got separated in the skirmish with the poison arrow shooting natives. John and Helen retreated into the temple while Henry, Declan and two other members of the London Sanctuary took cover behind a section of the fallen stone wall and nearby trees.

Inside the temple, the pair's footsteps echoed loudly on the stone floor and the eerie silence in the space caused the hairs on the back of John's neck to stand up on end. An experienced hunter, John didn't need Helen's warning to know that danger was near. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed the tiniest of movement in the dark and shoved Helen down into a sheltered alcove before teleporting away right as the arrows began flying through the air. One of the natives had loudly declared Druitt to be the devil when he reappeared before them in a blur of red and had ripped their primitive but deadly weapons out of their hands. "The devil doesn't like being shot at," John retorted dryly as he knocked the offenders unconscious. "Show a little respect for your elders."

He returned to find a disgruntled Helen standing inside the alcove and dusting off her backside. "A little warning would have been nice," she grumbled. "I'm going to have bruises everywhere," she muttered to herself and briefly pressed her palm over her stomach.

"I could kiss it and make it better," he offered with a devilish grin as he tossed the arrows onto the ground and stomped them in half.

"Maybe later," she retorted and brushed past him to walk towards the carved alter at the end of the long room. She ignored his deep purr of "Hmmm, something to look forward to" and glanced around the space nervously.

"Something is very off here," she muttered and took a tighter grip on her weapon. It didn't make sense for the natives attack them when they were there to put a stop to the creature's attacks. And how did the natives know when they would arrive at the temple? It was almost as if they were waiting for them.

"Yes, there is," he answered. Hearing the tone of his voice, she glanced over her shoulder to find him staring at her profile with an intensity that startled her. Quickly, she turned fully round to face him only to have him move sideways in an effort to check out her profile again. He paced completely around her and she turned with him to prevent him from looking at her body from the side. "You're different," he shrewdly appraised.

"No, I'm not," she retorted defensively and placed her arms protectively across her stomach.

Tilting his head, he countered his stance by placing his hands on his hips. "Yes, you are. I know every inch of your body and it's different. It's curvier… even your face is fuller."

She gasped and threw out her hands in outrage. "Are you calling me fat?"

He shook his head. "Not fat." He pointedly stared at her stomach. "Just rounder." In all the years he'd known her he could not recall Helen ever looking this heavy. She had to be a good 15 pounds larger than normal and he would not have noticed it had he not studied her profile and saw that she had a little paunch in the stomach.

Alarmed that he noticed her weight gain, she brushed past him and moved quickly toward the temple altar. "This is hardly the time to discuss my weight gain," she said with a scowl on her face. "Something is wrong with this set up and we need to figure out why before we're killed by a poisoned dart."

"So you admit you've gained weight?" he asked as he followed behind her and looked around the space. She was right about them still being in danger. Something was definitely off about the whole situation. They'd seen no abnormal and as soon as they had gotten close to the temple they'd been driven into it. Correction, Helen and, by proximity he, had been deliberately driven inside.

She halted with a stiffened spine. Rounding on him, she growled, "One more comment about me gaining weight or being fat and so help me Montague John Druitt I'll shoot you dead with my blaster right this instant! Is that understood?"

"I never called you fat, woman," he answered with a snort as he moved closer to inspect writing on a wall carving. "I'm not a stupid man."

"You implied it!" she accused as she stared up at the ceiling and slowly moved backwards while she studied the faint paintings that hinted at a once glorious mural decorating the entire ceiling. A large section seemed to be missing and the part that still existed confused her. The temple was not living up to what she had been told about it.

"I thought you said this temple was over 500 years old," John interrupted. "Yet these carvings appear to be much more recent. I'd say no more than 250-300 at the most."

It was exactly what she was thinking. "We have no abnormal, we were attacked by unknown natives and now we're in a temple that is far younger than reported." A spark of fear shot up her spine. "John, we need to get out of here. I think we're in a trap." Before he could reply a loud rumple pierced the space. The temple shook as if an earthquake were taking place and began crumbling around them.

Hearing Helen's scream as she was thrown to the ground he instinctively yelled her name and teleported to her side. He reached for her just as the floor below them gave way and they pitched downward into a dark abyss along with parts of the stone ceiling. Helen's scream abruptly cut off as she was plunged into cold water and her arms flailed around her trying to grab onto anything. The water was moving at a steady rate and Helen's muddled mind reminded her that a river ran nearby the temple and it was conceivable that the temple had been partly built above a curve in the murky water. Resurfacing, she twisted around in search of John and finally spotted him floating nearby. She swam to him and grabbed a hold of his collar to keep him upright as they floated further downstream. He was still breathing but unconscious and with her head pressed next to his she could smell the blood that trickled down the side of his head.

Rotating in position here and there she was able to maneuver them closer to a river bank where she managed to drag her still unconscious partner up onto safety. Flopping back onto the ground she took in several harsh breaths and tried to get her breathing and racing heart under control before she passed out herself. Letting out another deep breath she pushed herself upright and went into doctor mode as she checked the big man over. There was a nasty cut on the left side of his temple and the ugly coloring of bruises was already spreading around the area. The area above his left eye was swelling up as well. "John, wake up," she called through chattering teeth as she tried to rouse him. His low groan in answer caused her tense shoulders to deflate and she pressed her temple in his in relief. "Thank God, you're alright," she sighed.

Her relief was brief as a sharp pain stabbed her in the lower part of her stomach and she hunched over in pain. "Ow!" she cried out in pain and pressed her hands against the pain.

"Helen?" John's hoarse voice called as he struggled to sit upright. Dizziness hit him and he grunted louder as he sunk back down onto the ground. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?" There was pain above his left eye, which only wanted to open part way, and he reached up with his hand to touch his throbbing head. Big mistake. Pain flared up and he let out a loud, impolite curse word.

He turned his head toward his companion at the sound of distress in her voice when she called out his name. "Can you teleport us back to the Sanctuary?" she panted. He was alarmed to see her doubled over with her arms wrapped around her stomach.

He managed to sit upright again though there was still some dizziness. "Might be advisable to wait a while," he groaned, "until the dizziness dissipates. My head feels like it's been hit by a freight train."

"I don't think we can wait," she gasped and reached over to grab his wrist with her right hand. "We need to go now. Please!"

"Helen, it's dangerous to teleport when I'm not well. I could miscalculate and land us…" he tried to reason with her and was cut off by a cry of pain from her.

"Now, John! There's something wrong with the baby," she panted and tightened her grip on his wrist.

He blinked. Apparently his hearing was damaged as well. He could have sworn she just said baby. "Baby?" he repeated with a frown. "Did you just say baby?"

"Yes!" she exclaimed before collapsing next to him. "John!" In the next instant they appeared on ground outside the front gate. Leaving Helen on the ground moaning, John forced himself into a standing position and began pressing hard on the intercom button as he kept his one good eye on his former ex-fiancée.

"What?" a raspy familiar voice asked in the intercom. "Turn off the EM shield," John growled. "Helen's hurt." There was a long pause as the Sasquatch confirmed Druitt's claim through the camera feed. "I'm turning it off. Get her to the infirmary and I'll meet you there."

The next hour was a blur. The big, hairy manservant had Helen hooked up to monitoring machines in the infirmary after Kate helped her into a dry hospital gown and wrapped a towel around her damp head. In the next recovery room John had removed his damp clothing, pulled on the pajamas and robe Kate had retrieved from the guest room that seemed to serve as a bedroom solely for him. He opened the door only to find it blocked by the large form of the Sasquatch.

"Helen's resting," the Sasquatch rasped and moved inside the door holding a silver tray with medical supplies. "Her blood pressure is too high. A little quiet rest is required." He glared at Druitt as if daring him to defy his orders to leave Magnus alone.

And for a moment John considered doing just that. Instead he asked "How long?" and ran a hand through his hair, cringing as sharp pain pinpricked on the front of his head and the left side of his face.

"Give her at least half an hour. I've given her something and it will make her sleepy but it will stop the stomach cramping." He stepped into the room and indicated the tray with a nod of his shaggy head. "Meanwhile, we need to stitch up that cut on your forehead."

Surprised, John asked with a hint of amusement, "You want to patch me up?" Normally the creature barely tolerated his presence and watched him like a hawk whenever John was around.

The big beast snorted. "Not particularly. But Helen is in no shape to do it and she'd be displeased to learn you're moving around the house with an open gash on your head. Not to mention I'd prefer you not bleed any on my clean floors than you already have."

"Oh, well, for the sake of your precious floors," John chuckled and sat down onto the bed as indicated by the Sasquatch. His rush of adrenaline was over and in his tired state he was actually willing to allow Helen's assistant to tend to him. It would also allow him to take control over his temper which had reared its ugly head upon Helen's confession that she was expecting. The question that whirled through his head as the Sasquatch worked on him was the identity of the baby's father and what method he was going to employ in killing the worthless bastard. However he did the deed John would make sure it was slow and painful.


	23. Echoes of the Past Part 3

Chapter 23: Echoes of the Past Part 3

_Flashback continued…_

An hour later a sleeping Helen became aware there was someone else in the room with her. Exhaling deeply, she stretched her long arms and slowly opened her eyes. It took several seconds for her mind to reconcile her location and then focus on the large form seated in a chair on the right side of her bed. "You look like hell," she drowsily commented as she struggled to sit up against the metal headboard.

"Matches my mood," he returned gruffly and said nothing else as he watched her reach for a pitcher of water on the nightstand next to her bed and pour herself a glass of water. They stared at one another in a game of cat and mouse as she finished drinking her water and then set down the empty cup onto the metal table.

Thirst quenched, she cleared her throat and sighed. "I owe you an explanation… about what I said earlier."

"You owe me a name," he countered with a calmness that she knew to be false judging by the way his jaw was clenched so tight that she could see a vein raised along his throat.

"And what would you do with that name should I chose to give it to you?" she hesitantly asked.

"Been debating about that. Throttling seems to be winning out… after a few other unpleasant actions," he answered with a flash of his large, white teeth. Her sudden burst of laughter at his threats startled him and caused him to stand up out of his seat. "You think I'm joking?" he snarled.

"No," she pressed a hand to her mouth in an attempt to get her giggling under control. "I know you're completely serious. It's just the vision of you doing the deed that's hilarious. How exactly do you plan on throttling yourself? Would you use both hands?" She started giggling again.

His mouth dropped open, he blinked, and tried twice to say something before he was actually able to get the words "What?" out of his mouth.

Shoving a pillow behind her back to get more comfortable, Helen stared up at the big oaf before her that was the father of her unborn child. He had worked himself up into such a state of anger that he was having a difficult time switch gears to the truth of the situation. "You were asking for the name of my baby's father, correct?"

"I was," he growled and took a menacing step toward her though it was evident by the look on his face that he was confused by what was going on.

"His name is Montague John Druitt, otherwise known as my former jackass of a fiancé," she replied and tried not to laugh again as his eyes widened and his tense shoulders slumped down in surprise.

"I'm the baby's father," he repeated with a raised brow.

God, the man was slow. "Valentine's night. Ashley's bedroom. You do remember that night, don't you?" she asked sarcastically when he continued to just stare at her. "If you say no I swear as God is my witness I'll climb out of this bed and stab you myself," she threatened in a flash of annoyance.

"Vividly," he answered with a start and dropped back into his vacated seat. "Are you telling me I got you pregnant that night? How is that even possible? We're far past the age of being able to conceive I should think."

"You think?" she snarked back. "Imagine my surprise when what I thought was a week-long stomach bug turned out to be something else all together. I had to take the pregnancy test three times before I believed it myself."

"You're pregnant… with my baby," he said softly to himself.

"I think we've just established that," she confirmed and waited for his real reaction to kick in. Would he be happy or completely freak out.

"You're pregnant… with my baby," he repeated louder and stood up again, this time placing his hands on his hips in indignation. "And when were you planning on telling me? Or were you planning to hide our child away from me like the first one?" he hotly accused.

"First of all," she growled back, "the first trimester is always best handled cautiously as it is the most dangerous. The last thing I needed was additional stress to cause a miscarriage. No one my age should be able to conceive let alone carry a child to term."

"You were less than thirty years younger when you had Ashley," he retorted with a wave of his hand.

"And second of all," she exclaimed in a raised voice, "it's your own damn fault I had to keep Ashley hidden away for more than a century!"

The monitoring device Helen was still connected to begun beeping loudly and the door suddenly swung open as Helen's old friend stomped into the room. "I told you she needed to keep her blood pressure low!" the Sasquatch barked at the other man and pushed him aside to get to the tower of medical equipment. He peered at the monitor readings and then turned back to the bickering couple. "Either calm down and talk like civilized people or get out," he ordered and addressed the last part to Druitt. The glare the beast aimed Druitt's way made it clear he wasn't afraid of taking the other man on.

John blew out a deep breath and gave a low nod to show that he would comply with the overprotective beast's demand. Helen gave her old friend a small, tight smile and nodded as well.

"Good," the Sasquatch growled. "Don't make me come back in here again!" he commanded as if he were dealing with unruly children. He stalked grumpily out of the room and closed the door behind him. With his sensitive hearing he could recline near the door and still keep tabs on Helen. If Druitt got violent he had a gun tucked into his pants ready to make the ex-psycho behave appropriately.

"He's rather bossy," John finally said to break the tension in the room. "Are you sure he's up to date on his rabies shot?"

"The only one acting like a mad dog in this room is you," she criticized in defense of her close friend and crossed her arms over her chest as she glared at him.

"How am I supposed to act!" he cried in frustration. "You've known you were carrying my child for months now and never said a word! Not a word! You know I wanted nothing more than to have a family with you."

"Is that still true?" she asked in a small voice, her first visible crack of vulnerability. "Do you still want to have a family with me?"

There was a long pause before he admitted, "You know I do. How could you doubt that?"

"You haven't come round since that the day following the night we spent together."

"I wasn't sure you wanted me around. You didn't try to stop me from leaving nor did you call… until today that is."

"I was so overwhelmed when I found out that I wasn't sure what to do," she admitted as her tried to run a hand through her tangled hair and frowned. She desperately needed a nice bath to wash away the film of dried mud on her person. "And then I thought it would be better to wait until the danger of the first trimester was over before I said anything. And then…" she trailed off and looked down at her hands, "I wasn't sure how to break the news to you."

"Well, this," he said throwing his arms out, "wasn't the way to break it to a man that he was going to be a father."

"I know," she said before clamping her hand over her mouth. Her face paled visibly and she clamped her eyes shut as a wave of nausea hit her.

Feeling remorse that he had made her want to cry, he reached for her only to have his hand shoved away. "I'm going to be sick," she warned and swallowed hard. He jumped back as she demanded the trash bin. He'd barely placed it into her lap before she wrapped her fingers around the edges and threw up several times. His nose crinkled up at the smell and he took two steps back.

The door flew open again and Helen's hairy friend hurried into the room. The Sasquatch waiting until she'd finished being sick to hand her a damp washcloth to wipe her mouth with before he removed the offending trash bin from the room. He returned two minutes later with it rinsed clean. "You're dehydrated," he declared with a grunt. "You need to rest and drink some Pedialyte."

"I need a bath!" she whined and flopped back onto her pillow. At John's comment of "You certainly do" she aimed a glare of death his way. "This is all your fault!" she complained and pointed at her stomach.

"So it is," he agreed with a lopsided grin. She was pregnant with their second child and it was entirely his fault he thought gleefully.

"I hate you," she grumbled seeing the stupid grin on his broad face.

"You can continue to hate him as you drink this," her old friend ordered and forced a cup of liquid into her hand.

She groaned. "I hate this stuff. Don't we have anything else? Gatorade? I know we have some grape Gatorade in the refridgerator somewhere."

"No," he retorted gruffly. "Now drink!"

"Only if I get to go have a bath and sleep in my own bed," she negotiated with a pout. Her hair was starting to itch and she was pretty sure there was some residual mud in her bellybutton.

John was impressed with the eye roll the Sasquatch gave her. "You pout like Henry does when he's forced to take medication. Drink the Pedialyte and if your blood pressure goes back to normal I'll let you go to your bedroom. If it doesn't you're here for the night, no argument." John's opinion of the beast rose another notch after witnessing him put Helen in her place. Few got away with ordering her around like her manservant just did.

"Henry!" she cried and sat up quickly. "Oh my God. I completely forgot about Henry and Declan and the others. John, you have to…"

"They're fine," her old friend said with a dismissive wave of his big furry hand. "Henry called shortly after you got here to ask if Druitt had returned you home safely. I told him you were fine. They're on their way home now. Declan thinks it was a trap, that there never was any such abnormal." He paused and gave her a worried look. "Henry said Declan thinks it was a trap meant specifically for you."

Helen exchanged a worried look with John. "So do we."

"Do you have any idea who or what we're dealing with here?" her friend asked with a low growl. He was always protective of the woman who had taken him in and made him a part of her life's work. The fact that she was unexpectedly with child only made him more protective. His thoughts turned to the Cabal but he refrained from bringing them up given Helen's current condition.

She shook her head no and lifted the offensive drink up to her mouth. "I'm going to my room," she declared her intention as she began chugging down the liquid with a grimace. Both men smirked when she stuck her tongue out of the side of her mouth in distaste in between gulps.

"We need to practice diligence," the hairy man warned and didn't bother arguing with her about going to her room. She'd do it anyway as stubborn as she was. "Until we know what's really going on you are off the mission list and will remain within safe bounds where we can keep an eye on you."

"Agreed," John interjected. "And if anyone or anything tries to harm you or our child again they'll have to deal with me," he promised with a flash of anger in his eyes. It dawned on him that if Helen hadn't called him at the last moment for help she and, by extension, their child, would probably be dead right now. The thought infuriated him. No one touched what belonged to him and lived.

Helen recognized the turbulent emotions flashing in his eyes and groaned. "Dear Lord. You're going to go all cave man on me, aren't you?"

"You say that like it's a bad thing," he drawled with a smirk at the corner of his mouth.

"I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself," she pointed out and placed the empty cup by her bed. Sighing, she rested back against the pillow and closed her eyes as she waited for her blood pressure to reach a safe level before she left the room.

"I know you are," he said and reached for her hand. "Consider me your own personal attack dog if needed. My bite is definitely worse than my bark."

She laughed as he kissed her hand and opened her eyes to look up at him with her beautiful sapphire orbs. "Great, now I'm picturing you with a studded leather collar," she laughed again.

He laughed back. "Not in front of the children," he playfully chided with a nod at the Sasquatch. "We wouldn't want to give him any ideas."

"I think nightmares is more like it," the hairy fellow muttered under his breath as he left the room.

An hour later a refreshed John lie sprawled out on top of Helen's bed with his arms tucked behind his head. She had refused to allow him to join her in the bath so he had to bath alone in his own bathroom down the hall before returning to her room. He ignored the fact that she hadn't actually invited him into her bedroom. Now that he knew she was carrying his offspring he was determined not to be kept away from her or their child. As he waited for her his mind turned to thoughts of their youth. They had had such dreams of wedded bliss and of having a happy family… all of which had gone wrong thanks to the energy elemental. Once again he was being offered a chance at recapturing his dreams. First he had finally escaped the long and deadly grasp of "Jack" the energy elemental. And now he was being presented with the opportunity at being a real father to his child. A wave of determination surged in his chest. He was going to have his family no matter what the cost.

"Lost your way?" Helen said as she padded barefoot into the room wearing a heathered, gray tank top and long pajama pants. "Your bedroom is at the other end of the hall," she reminded him as she came up beside the bed and frowned down at him. He looked entirely too comfortable.

"Why would I want to be sleep down the hall when you're here?" he genially argued and smiled at her. He could tell that she was annoyed he was in her bed uninvited. He could also tell she was exhausted and not up for a fight.

"John," she whined, "I'm exhausted. I just want to go to sleep."

"That makes two of us," he answered wearily. "I haven't had the best of days either in case you've forgotten." He pointed at his bruised face and stitches.

"No," she agreed and bit her bottom lip. He looked as bad as she felt. It was her fault he'd gotten injured. And if he hadn't answered her call she and their baby might not be alive right now. "Alright. You can stay," she caved, "but there will be no hanky panky. Only sleeping."

He gave a low rumble of laughter. "Hanky panky? I haven't had anything remotely like hanky panky since we were starred eyed youngsters. Now if you are talking about sex…"

"There will be no sex," she firmly declared with a scowl.

"Good," he snorted. "I'm not up for it. My head is pounding and I can barely keep my left eye open."

She immediately sat down next to him and gently grabbed his head for a closer inspection. "The swelling around your eye looks awful. I'll get some ice and something for your headache."

He grabbed her wrist. "Don't bother yourself. You need to rest. I'll be okay."

She pulled free. "I'm fine. There's ice down the hall in the small lounge. Go fill one of the small ice buckets and I'll get you some medication. Grab a can of juice for me too, okay?"

He smiled and sat up. "Sure. Any particular flavor?"

"Apple or cran-grape," she decided and headed for the bathroom to root around in the cabinet.

Minutes later they were settled under the covers of her bed. He had a plaid covered ice pack resting above his left eye and had downed the pills with a can of orange juice. She settled herself against his shoulder and sleepily looked up at him. "Leave the pack on no more than five minutes. Don't move too much or it'll keep fall off."

He turned to kiss the side of her head and pushed the ice pack back in place. "Don't worry. I have no intention of moving from this spot."

She gave a yawn and snuggled closer to him. "You need to shave," she complained.

"As soon as I can see well enough with both eyes," he consented with a yawn. His right arm circled her shoulder and his large palm came to rest over her midriff. He brushed his fingertips over the little paunch of her stomach. His child rested in there he thought happily as he rubbed back and forth. After a minute he heard her mumble, "Keep that up and I'll throw up on you." He smiled and ceased his movement though he kept his hand resting on her stomach. His left hand pulled the ice pack off and dropped it on the floor. It then draped over his waist to rest his hand on top of his other one, essentially holding her in his embrace. He could tell by her steady, deep breathing that she had fallen into slumber. His last coherent thought as he followed her into dream land was a possessive "mine" in regards to her and their child.


	24. The Stuff of Legends

Chapter 24: The Stuff of Legends

As the head of the Barcelona House continued to prattle on about his house's recent success over breeding a pair of rare fire salamanders Watson uncharacteristically stabbed his right fingernails into his left palm to vent his annoyance. His handsome face held its calm appearance though the sideways glance Helen had aimed his way told him she wasn't fooled. He wasn't fooled by the firm set of her left jaw either. She was as bored with this Head of Household conference as he was.

Wickedly, he raised an eyebrow at her and winked. His face was turned enough that those on screen wouldn't see his intimate gesture. Despite her brief glare back that clearly said "behave" Helen was unable to prevent a small dimpled half smile from tugging up at the left side of her naturally rosy lips.

"Ah, you agree, Doctor Magnus," Pablo proclaimed at the sight of her famous dimpled smile. "This breeding program has been conducted with such scientific perfection that it could be of benefit to the entire Sanctuary Network. If we can save a creature so rare as the Sabine Salamanders from extinction imagine what we could do with other difficult to breed creatures. The possibilities are endless."

"I agree," she quickly consented, mostly in the hopes of preventing the young man from launching into another round of thinly disguised boasting. As the youngest head of household member he was determined to prove himself to the others and tended to go a bit overboard. "Your staff has done an excellent job and I read their entire technical report with rapt attention," she praised. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Watson's mouth turn up in a smirk and ignored him. "We have a pair of very reluctant Opaline Lizards who have rebuffed all of our attempts at encouraging their mating. Perhaps one of your scientists would be so good as to look over our past protocol and make any suggestions for improvement?" She knew before the words had completely left her mouth that he would be thrilled with her request.

"Absolutely!" Pablo preened and ran an excited hand over his luxuriously waxed moustache. "The Barcelona Sanctuary would be honored to help."

"Wonderful! The collaboration of brilliant minds is the backbone of our network," James pompously added and clapped his hands enthusiastically as he fully faced the screen. "And now ladies and gentleman may we conclude this most productive meeting?"

"One moment, if you please," Selim, head of the Cairo household, interrupted from the far right screen. "There have been a few odd incidents that I thought you might want to be aware of," he began hesitantly.

"What's wrong, Selim?" James asked of the old man for whom Watson held a great deal of respect.

"It may be nothing…" Selim said as if embarrassed to broach the subject.

"But?" Helen prompted. Like Watson, she held Selim in high regards and knew he was not one to worry unnecessarily.

The old man twisted his hand nervously around the cane propped against his high backed chair. "There have been a few strange break-ins recently of Egyptian museums in the last three weeks. Several sacred religious objects were stolen."

"Stolen antiquities are not really our area of concern," the head of the Johannesburg household inserted.

Selim continued as if he hadn't heard the other man. It was well known that the two men disliked one another immensely. "Thanks to a tip to Interpol the stolen pieces were intercepted before they could leave the country. In going through the recovered pieces it was discovered four items were missing. Four very rare, sacred artifacts."

"There must be something important about these artifacts, old friend, to have you this worried," Helen kindly surmised. "Tell us what's bothering you."

"It's not so much the artifacts as the legend attached to the mirrors that worries me," the old man admitted.

"Legends are tales told by silly old women around the campfire," Nigel sniffed. Catching the glare from Dr. Magnus at his offhand slur of women the younger man mumbled, "But of course, some legends do contain morsels of truth in them."

"I love legends," James cordially declared and smiled at the others on the multitude of flat screens. "As does the good doctor beside me. However, there's no reason for our love of tall tales to hold up everyone's busy schedules. Selim, please stay and tell your story to Helen and myself. If we feel that the need arises to share the information with the other heads of household we can arrange a future conference call."

Dismissed, the other heads of household gladly departed, their screens fading to black. When the acting head of the London household stayed on screen James gave him a stern look. "I love legends too," Declan declare impishly. "It runs in the family. We English are a nosy and superstitious lot." He grinned defiantly back at his mentor.

James rolled his eyes as a familiar chuckle tickled his eardrums. He didn't have to look at her to know Helen was thinking like father like son. Only Helen and John were privy to the knowledge that the cheeky young man on the screen was in fact his biological offspring. Watson had been very careful to cover up the details of Declan's parentage and the boy had only learned of the truth upon his aged mother's deathbed five years ago.

Confronted by the angry young man, James had muttered an unhappy "damn" and proceeded to explain the necessity for the subterfuge. It had been one of the most emotionally draining discussions of Watson's long life. Declan had reluctantly agreed to continue the charade, largely in part because he didn't want others to accuse him of being Watson's next in command due solely to being his relation. It had taken quite some time to slowly repair their damaged relationship. Whereas once Watson had been in control of the relationship the power had shifted into Declan's court once he learned of his true identity.

To Declan's credit he didn't try to hold it over Watson's head or use it against him. He simply became a tad bit bolder in his stubbornness or willingness to disagree with his mentor. As the boy had been apprenticed to the London Sanctuary since he was ten James had been able to watch over his only offspring without drawing attention to their relationship. Declan's mother had married another member of Watson's staff and the boy had grown up surrounded by the Sanctuary way of life in a happy household full of love and rambunctious siblings. James never regretted giving his son the happy childhood he himself could never offer Declan, but he did regret not being able to openly acknowledge that they were father and son. It would be the big regret of his life and there were times when he felt small pangs of jealously as he observed John's delight at being a father to Ashley. Declan had only once addressed James as "father" and that was when the lad had confronted him with his mother's confession. The little smart ass then took to teasingly calling him "old man" now and then in place of father. It amused John tremendously until Watson pointed out that Ashley in her first incarnation had nicknamed him "baldy."

Giving his head a little shake to brush away his unrelated flurry of recollections, James gave his son a reprimanding look that didn't quite reach his eyes. Declan returned it with a little smirk, knowing full well his father was amused at his audacity. Meekness was not a trait James admired in others. "So, Selim, tells us about this legend. We're all ears," Declan encouraged as he settled back in his chair to hear what he suspected would be a good story.

Helen was in the midst of assuring Selim that she would send out some feelers about the missing ancient Egyptian mirrors as she agreed with him that it was curious that the artifacts were so easily recovered with the exception of the mirrors when a series of muffled bangs sounded outside her office window. Curious, James stood up and ambled toward the windows while his colleague wrapped up their teleconference. Peering out the windows he saw nothing out of the ordinary. Cautiously, he cracked opened one of the windows and pushed the 9-paned window outward an inch. He was relieved to hear familiar voices below.

"My turn, my turn!" Ashley declared excitedly. "I wanna go next!"

"Alright," Nikola consented. "Don't forget to keep it pointed up like I showed you. And step back quickly or you'll get a face full of stickiness."

James pushed the window panel further outward and had just started turning his head downward to see what was going on when Henry looked up, caught sight of Watson, and yelled out, "Ashley, wait!"

The next second there was a loud popping sound and James got nailed in the forehead by something hard. His cry of pain was accompanied by another cry of surprise as he was sprayed in the face by a cold, unknown substance.

"James!" Helen exclaimed near his left ear and reached for him. She had approached his side seconds before he was assaulted by an unknown entity. Her old friend had pulled back into the room groaning and was pressing his palm against his forehead. "Are you alright? What happened? Are you bleeding?

Lowering his hand, James stared at his palm for signs of blood and frowned at the dark, sticky substance that coated his face, hair and chest area. "Bloody hell," he growled and swiped at the dripping liquid running down his face.

"What is that stuff?" Helen asked as she brushed his hair from his forehead and leaned in closer to inspect the angry red splotch in the center of his forehead. She was relieved to note there was no blood thank goodness.

Sniffing his palm, the affronted man licked it and declared, "Diet Coke."

Her surprise was cut short as a familiar voice below exclaimed, "Crap, now we're in for it! This is entirely your fault! I told you not to do it under Magnus' office window." Leaning out the window she looked down upon the culprits responsible for Watson's attack.

The two men were standing on the terrace below her window. "Hi, Magnus," Henry stammered as she stared down at them with a stern look on her face. Nervously, he shuffled from foot to the other and tried to look as innocent as possible. Easier said than done considering he had a two liter bottle of Coke in his hand and he was standing behind a long table that held three other 2 liter bottles… all of which were now empty. Darn it. He knew he shouldn't have listened to the crazy old bat when the idea was first suggested.

"Hello, Helen," Nikola cheerfully waved and flashed the beautiful brunette a toothy, mischievous grin. He ignored the anxious look from the worried werewolf to his right. "Beautiful day, isn't it?"

"What in the world is going on?" Helen demanded as she slapped her hands on the window sill and leaned further out. She had a pretty good idea as she eyed the evidence but she was still stymied. Henry she could see playing with soda rockets but Tesla? The scientist was well known to dislike anything that involved getting dirty. She then spied a little face peaking out behind Henry and her mouth dropped open. "Ashley!"

"Hi, mommy," Ashley said as she came out from hiding behind her big brother and gave her mother a wide fake smile in an attempt to hide the fact that she just shot her uncle James in the face with a soda rocket. Like her fellow "scientists" she was wearing a rain coat buttoned up over her clothes and Welles on her feet.

Seeing the guilty look on her daughter's face Helen quickly figured out what had taken place and who was responsible. "You could have seriously hurt someone, young lady," she angrily admonished the trio. "Had the hardened candy struck James in the eye he could have suffered serious physical injury. What do you have to say for yourself, young lady?"

"I'm sorry, mommy. I didn't mean to hurt Uncle James. We were just playing scientist," Ashley apologized and bit her bottom lip as she scooted back against Henry, who placed the soda bottle down on the table and wrapped both arms around the child to reassure her.

"We were carrying out an experiment to see which soda flavor would produce the tallest soda stream," Henry explained and motioned toward the other man. "It was his idea."

"Why am I not surprised," James grumbled.

"Well, I'm surprised," Helen declared flatly as she turned to stare at him briefly. "This is Tesla we're talking about. Not only is it not normal for him to 'play' scientist with a child it's quite unusual for him to do an experiment with such messy ingredients."

"He did it on purpose," James accused and glared down at his old school mate. "He deliberate chose that spot to hit one of us in the face with exploding soda." His frown deepened as the vampire grinned up at him unapologetically.

"Why, my good James, whatever do you mean?" Nikola sweetly called up. "I was merely trying to bond with _my_ godchild and pass on my love of science to her. She's receiving valuable training from a scientist of legendary standing. What could be a better way for me to bond with _my_ godchild?" He reveled in his emphasis on Ashley being his godchild this go-round to rub in the fact that Watson had lost his exalted position as Ashley's godfather.

"You're only a legend in your own mind, you old windbag," James grouchily retorted as he grabbed a tea towel from the nearby tea tray and tried to wipe the soda from his person. The sticky wetness did nothing to temper his bad mood.

"To be fair, that's not actually true," Helen offered as she tried not to openly laugh at James, who looked like he wanted to jump over the balcony to get at their old friend who was only one floor below. "Tesla is technically a legendary scientist. There are numerous web pages dedicated to him."

"They also proclaim he died in 1943 and was entirely human. Obviously they're flawed and full of inaccuracies," James huffed and glared at her. "And why am I not surprised you're taking up for him? You always had a soft spot for short, fanged and snarky."

"Now, James," she said gently, "it was purely an accident and I suspect that Ashley was the true culprit of your injury. Let bygones be bygones." She tugged on bottom of his shirt. "Plotting revenge is a wasted effort of your brilliant mental capabilities."

"Says who?" he growled back at her and moved away from the window.

Catching snippets of the conversation above Henry's brow wrinkled up in confusion. "Are they arguing about us?"

"It would seem so," a highly amused Nikola shrugged. This was going even better than he could have hoped for.

"Mommy's gonna ground me," Ashley whimpered and looked up at the two men with a worried face. "If I go hide now maybe she won't be able to find me until she's no longer mad. Henry, will you sneak me dinner?"

"Oh, there's no need for that, little one," Nikola assured her as he placed a hand on her shoulder to prevent her from bolting. "I predict that not only will your mother not be angry when she joins us she'll also participate in our little experiment."

"Really?" Henry and Ashley said in doubtful unison.

"Really," Nikola repeated confidently. "I have known Helen Magnus longer than you two put together and trust me when I say she has a playful side to her. She'll join in on the fun once she's soothed Detective Snoozevillle's ruffled feathers."

"If he shoots dead you I get your lab and all your new equipment," Henry declared smugly.

Tesla snorted. "Yeah, like shooting me is going to work. Dream on, Fido."

"Where there's a will there's a way," Henry taunted. He was well aware that killing the arrogant vampire was a difficult task but there was always hope. If nothing else it would be entertaining to watch Tesla scurrying through the mansion with a gun happy Watson tracking after him. Add in a large tub of popcorn, a beer and a good seat at the top of the stairs and it would be better than watching Star Trek on the IMAX.

"Not going to happen, Wolfgang," Nikola retorted over his shoulder as he removed the three empty bottles to set up for the next round of experiments. "Did you write down the distance and velocity of Ashley's Diet Coke gusher?"

"No," Henry replied defensively. "I saw James' face in the window and I forgot to take the measurement."

Tesla sighed. "Then we'll have to do it again. Really, Heinrich, your one assignment was to take the reading and call out the numbers for me to write down. How do you expect to be a world class scientist if you cannot do a simple task as read off numbers from the recording device?"

"Yeah, Henry," Ashley fussed and glared up at him looking so much like a miniature version of her mother that Henry was momentarily at a loss for words.

"Hey, whose side are you on, shortcake?" Henry squeaked back.

"I believe that would be mine," Nikola replied as he held up a triumphant finger. This whole godfather thing did have its good moments he thought happily. First nailing Watson in the face and now telling off Foss. Ashley might prove to be his favorite godchild after all. Sure she was his only one but who was counting?

Back upstairs, Helen followed in Watson's wake as he trudged toward the elevator. "James," she warned as they came to a stop before the elevator and James banged on the call button. "Whatever you're plotting think twice. You know it's next to impossible to kill Nikola and since he's one of us you wouldn't be able to go through with it anyway."

"Oh, but where there's a will there's a way," James snarled. He didn't actually want to kill Tesla. Throttle him yes but not actually kill him. Maybe pour honey over him and tie him down on top of a fire ant bed. Watson smiled at that evil thought. At Helen's narrowing of her eyes at him, he suggested, "Shooting him might not work but I venture adding decapitation on top of shooting him would do the trick. I bet I could get John to hold him down while I do the dirty deed."

"Don't you dare give John any ideas," she commanded as she poked him in the chest. She removed her finger and flicked it in distaste due to the tackiness of the soda remnants that had transferred to her finger.

"Silly woman, I don't have to give John any ideas," James crowed as he entered the elevator and turned to face her while pressing the second floor button. "He's got plenty of imagination going on in that department."

"James Watson…" she began to threaten only to have the elevator doors close in her face. Throwing her head back, she growled "Men!" in agitation. "I am surrounded by juvenile men." Recalling her sticky finger, Helen turned and headed down the hall towards the kitchen to wash her hands. After that, she had some naughty children to tend to.

By the time Helen made it onto the terrace the trio had completed another round of soda explosions and were removing the three empty soda bottles from the rectangular table. Ashley was helping Henry squeegee the spilt liquid off the table top when she caught sight of her mother heading their way. Letting out a loud squawk, she dropped her plastic tool and hid behind Tesla's back. Feeling the child pressing herself against him, Nikola frowned and turned toward the direction of her concern. His frown immediately turned upside down as the voluptuous Doctor Magnus stepped closer. His sharp mind noticed that Helen looked even more curvy then usual but he dismissed the thought as she stopped before him and crossed her arms like a disapproving school marm. A very sexy, disapproving school marm.

"Stop it," she ordered.

"Stop what?" he asked.

"Whatever cheeky thoughts you're thinking," she perceptively retorted.

"Why Helen, what a suspicious mind you have," he purred back. She did know him well he thought proudly.

Twirling her finger around she commanded "Explain" and listened as he explained that Ashley and Henry had been bored and so, being the good and caring guy that he was, he came up with a fun exercise for the three to test a scientific theory.

"Actually, I was running an anti-virus program on one of the backup servers when he showed up with Ashley," Henry inserted and nervously ran a hand through his spiky hair.

"Like I said, he was bored," Nikola rolled his eyes. "Can you honestly say you were having fun running the anti-virus program?"

"I could have been…" Henry answered weakly and sighed. Tesla was right. He was bored and this was the most fun he'd had in two weeks.

Staring at the small pair of feet behind Tesla Helen called out, "Ashley, are you going to hide behind your godfather all day or are you going to come out and say hello to your mother?"

"Are you going to ground me?" came the worried reply as the little feet shuffled back further behind the vampire as he turned toward her.

"That depends," her amused mother said. "Did you purposely hit James in the face with the soda explosion or was it an accident?"

"It was an accident!" the child exclaimed emphatically and peered around Tesla's legs to look at her mother. "Honest! I would never hurt Uncle James on purpose!"

"An accident," Helen repeated. "I suppose I shouldn't ground you for an accident, now should I?"

"No, you shouldn't," Nikola agreed and reached behind him to pry the child's hands free from his coat. Stepping aside he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her in front of him. "Ashley, say hello to your mother. Helen, there's a spare raincoat on the plant ledge behind you. Put it on and let's perform round three of our fun little experiment."

"What?" Helen laughed in surprise as Ashley squealed excitedly "Do it, mommy! Put on the coat and play with us!" Giving her head a shake, Helen replied she was not going to join in on this nonsense.

"Uh, come on, mommy!" Ashley whined and pulled on her mother's right hand. "It's fun. I want you to play with me."

"Oh you know you want to," Nikola taunted her as he adjusted his hat, causing Helen to giggle aloud.

"I do not. And you look ridiculous," she giggled again.

"I look adorable," he shot back pompously, "and you know it." At her continued hesitancy, he added, "Don't be such a stick in the mud, Doctor Magnus. Young Heinrich and I are showing Ashley that science can be fun and exciting. Isn't it important to encourage females to partake of science? How can you discourage such a worthy cause? For once put your hair down and let your inner child free. It's probably unconscious and drooling after yet another long and boring conference call."

"You are incorrigible," she accused with grin.

"I know. You love it," he retorted and, sensing her weakening, turned back to the table. Rubbing his hands together, he asked, "What sodas are up next?"

"Sunkist, Dr. Pepper, and 7UP," Henry replied and reached for two of the bottles. To Helen he encouraged, "Come on, Magnus. It really is fun."

"Yeah, mommy!" Ashley agreed and hugged the Sunkist to her chest.

"Tesla currently holds the record for the tallest gusher so far," Henry recapped as he placed the bottles on the table and evenly spaced them out. "You wouldn't want to pass up the opportunity to whip his uppity butt now would you?" he teased.

"Oh, what the heck," she sighed and reached for the raincoat. Ashley squealed again and plopped the bottle loudly on the table before rushing over to hug her mother, whom she had not seen for the better part of the day due to numerous business meetings.

"Don't forget to take your hair down," the vampire cheekily instructed and grinned broadly as she unpinned her hair and tossed it over her shoulders haughtily before slipping on the raincoat.

Pulling the hood over her head she joined them at the table. "Okay. What are the rules and who gets to go first?"

Forty-five minutes later, John and Kate were walking down the hallway looking for their housemates when they heard several loud popping sounds followed by shouts. The pair, who had recently returned from a day mission, raced towards the noise and bumped into one another as they stopped to open the door to the terrace. "After you," Kate offered and stepped back to let the big man yank the door inward. Together they stepped out onto the stone terrace just in time to see the celebratory group let out another round of shouts. Only this time the shouts were more of the angry variety. Mouths dropped opened, the two newcomers stared in disbelief at the sight before them.

"How long have we been gone?" Kate asked out of the side of her mouth as her mind tried to register the freaky scene before her. "Everyone's lost their minds."

"So it appears," John replied with a small laugh.

At the far side of the terrace there were a lot of indignant howls as the loud hissing of the water finally diminished. Ripping the hood of her raincoat back off her head, Helen swiped at her wet face and glared angrily at her attacker. "James Watson! What in the bloody hell do you think you're doing?"

James smiled broadly at her and began to roll the water hose back up into its wall holder. "Why, I am merely cleaning up the big mess, my dear Helen."

Around her there were grumblings and growls as her fellow experimenters repeated her actions and tried to dry themselves off. The raincoats had kept part of their chest and waist areas dry but Watson's unexpected attacked left their faces, hands, and lower limbs drenched.

"My underwear's wet!" Ashley complained and visibly pouted as she pulled at her bottom. She'd been bent at the waist reaching for another Mentos candy to eat off the table when the water attack began. "Uncle James, look what you did!" She cried, stomping up and down irately, and splattering Tesla who groused about his pants being completely ruined.

"Not to mention my shoes!" Helen exclaimed as her hands came to her hips and she stared daggers at her old friend.

The smug look on James' face grew. The reaction to his revenge was as he hoped and he planned to savor the moment. Before, he was the soaking wet one. Now, he was the only dry one. Tucking the faucet head into the hose coil James informed them that the Big Guy said dinner would be ready in an hour. "Best get dry and redressed for dinner," James gloated. "Its Italian night and you know how fast the Sasquatch's famous eggplant parmesan disappears."

"You… are a dead man," Nikola hissed and glared murderously at his old classmate.

"Been there, done that," James cackled over his shoulder and calmed strolled back into the door nearby.

Unnoticed at the other end of the terrace Kate looked up at Druitt. "Last one in gets a cold bath."

"Definitely," he agreed and disappeared in a flash of red.

"Son of a…," she began in annoyance and turned on her heel to rush back inside. Cold showers were one of Kate's pet peeves and she wasn't about to have to endure one after working all day in the field.

"Mommy, my butt's wet!" Ashley whined again.

"Come on," her mother sighed and wrapped an arm around her unhappy child. "Let's go clean up and get ready for dinner."

"I'll get even," Nikola continued to mutter under his breath as he stalked behind them. "Somehow, someway, I'll get my revenge."

"We got hosed because of you purposely set up shop underneath Magnus' office," Henry crankily reminded him. "This is all your fault."

Tesla shot him a sideways frown. "You smell like wet dog."

"Says the overgrown drenched rodent!" Henry snarked back.

"Bats are not rodents!"

"And I'm not a dog!"

"What happened to you lot?" the Sasquatch gruffly asked as the four made their way down the hall towards the staircase.

"Uncle James got us with the water hose!" Ashley blabbed. "He was being really naughty!"

Surprised by her answer, the Sasquatch looked at her mother for explanation. "Don't ask," Helen sighed and maneuvered her daughter past her old friend and up the stairs.

"You're dripping all over my clean floors," the tall creature fussed.

"Have James clean it up," Nikola snorted as he passed by. "He's in a cleaning mood."

Silently the Sasquatch watched the four tromp up the stairs, and then stared back down at the wet footprints and puddles on the dark wooden floor. Sighing, he shook his head and walked in the opposite direction. "I live with a bunch of crazy people," he muttered to himself. "Humans," he snorted derisively, "not a lick of sense among them."


End file.
